More than 80 representatives from leading manufacturing
organisations around the UK attended an event showcasing the work
of the new Manufacturing Technology Centre, based at Ansty Park,
Coventry.
They included ABB, Bombardier, Hewlett Packard, Tata, Rockwell
Automation and EADS.
The aim of the event, held at the MTC on October 8, was to
introduce potential partners to the MTC facilities, development
capabilities and project opportunities, and for them to join
existing founding partners, Rolls-Royce, Aero Engine Controls and
Airbus UK, in being involved in shaping this growing
partnership.
The new MTC facility will be up and running at Ansty Park near
Coventry in Spring 2011.
The MTC will bridge the gap for manufacturing companies between
research and production. Manufacturing techniques will be developed
and tested at the Centre thus reducing costs and risks to companies
before they go into full-scale production.
A combined capital contribution of £40 million from
Advantage West Midlands and East Midlands Development Agency (emda)
- one of the largest public sector investments in manufacturing for
many years - provided the catalyst to drive forward the
construction of the centre and the funding to help run it in the
medium term.
MTC Project Director Peter Flinn said: "The MTC will help give
UK-based manufacturing companies the edge in global competition by
modernising and sharpening up their manufacturing processes. We're
very pleased that so many companies attended today. We were able to
show them that a very small investment in R&D through the MTC
can reap them very large rewards.
The MTC offers partnership and collaboration with like-minded
manufacturing companies in an environment where novel ideas can be
tried on production-scale."
Current research partners in the MTC are leading UK
organisations University of Birmingham, University of Nottingham,
Loughborough University and TWI Limited, the operating division of
The Welding Institute.