MTC to help businesses adopt smart manufacturing solutions

Experts at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) has developed an innovative demonstrator to show businesses how they can grow through the adoption of smart manufacturing technologies and processes.

Developed by the MTC working alongside the University of Birmingham, Loughborough University and a team of industrial partners, the ‘Factory in a Box’ is an industrial scale demonstrator, showcasing how advanced industrial digital technologies can benefit manufacturers and their supply chains.

The Factory in a Box demonstrator – which is part of the £60 million Innovate UK-funded Energy Research Accelerator (ERA) programme – is to be formally launched at the MTC in March. Manufacturers are invited to attend the free event and learn how their businesses can benefit from the adoption of a smarter, more digital approach. The Factory in a Box demonstrates a number of industrial digital technologies that can help manufacturers speed up their route to market and take advantage of new business models.

Hosted at the MTC on Ansty Park, Coventry on 13^th March, the event will bring together industry thought-leaders, academia and the MTC's Smart Manufacturing Accelerator team, which delivers integrated manufacturing and supply chain improvements based on industrial digital technologies.

Robin Thatcher, chief engineer at the MTC said: "A Factory in a Box is a rapidly deployable, remotely-managed, modular manufacturing supply chain network enabled by the latest digital technologies. As well as demonstrating those technologies, it can be a solution in its own right, providing a rapid route to market for manufacturing innovations."

He added: "Our Smart Manufacturing Accelerator technologists can assess manufacturing businesses and their supply chains to plan, design and implement innovative manufacturing solutions. Attendees at the launch event will see live demonstrations of the Factory in a Box and judge if it is right for them. They can also take part in interactive workshops, and listen to high level presentations from advanced manufacturing experts.

Although the event is free, registration is vital as places are limited. Those interested should visit www.smartmanufacturingaccelerator.co.uk/launch.

The MTC was founded by the University of Birmingham, Loughborough University, the University of Nottingham and TWI. The MTC’s industrial members include some of the UK’s major global manufacturers.

The MTC aims to provide a competitive environment to bridge the gap between university-based research and the development of innovative manufacturing solutions, in line with the Government’s manufacturing strategy. The MTC is part the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, supported by Innovate UK.

MTC www.the-mtc.org