Ford will back a High Speed Sustainable Manufacturing Institute (HSSMI) being launched by the Government at the Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence (CEME) in East London.
Ford is to invest £1.44m of high-tech engineering and manufacturing expertise in the HSSMI, in HSSpartnership with CEME, Loughborough University (the leading academic partner,) and supported by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG.) The set up and launch of the Institute is funded by a £3.5m grant from the DCLG.
This independent Institute will conduct industrial research which aims to improve the efficiency of British manufacturers and suppliers by integrating state-of-the-art technologies from top academic organisations into volume manufacturing processes. This will increase productivity, raise the profile of manufacturing in the UK, and foster the development of key skills needed to make the UK more attractive to businesses.
The Institute will provide a world-class centre of excellence for manufacturing engineering, bringing together academic institutions, end users and supply chain partners. This will enable the advancement of virtual manufacturing systems, shortening product launch times and reducing costs – not just for large companies but also for small and medium sized manufacturers.
Joe Greenwell, Ford of Britain chairman, said: “Ford is delighted to be a founding partner in this exciting new initiative. The Institute will accelerate research and development in innovative manufacturing systems that will help underpin the future of the UK’s high value manufacturing sector. This complements the work that Ford is already doing in this area and also provides significant opportunities for supply chain partners.”
Bill Williams, CEO of the Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence said: “The creation of the High Speed Sustainable Manufacturing Institute is a bold step in further establishing the UK in its place of the premier league of manufacturing engineering excellence world-wide.”
Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, said: “This is an Institute with a big ambition, to push back the frontiers of manufacturing, quicken production and reduce costs and bring benefits to business as well as the local area. It is a delight to open this new Institute and to pledge £3.5m of investment.”
The HSSMI will be based at CEME in East London.