Three pioneering manufacturing research projects spearheaded by the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) have received a significant funding injection of £14 million through the Glasgow City Region Innovation Accelerator programme.
The aim of these initiatives is to enhance productivity and sustainability within local manufacturing and engineering sectors, fostering collaboration between smaller businesses and industry giants such as Boeing, SSE Renewables, Howden, Thales, and Babcock. The projects are backed by £5.4 million from the UK Government and up to £8.6 million from industry partners.
One standout project, ReMake Glasgow, will establish a pioneering national ReMake hub at NMIS’s flagship facility near Glasgow Airport, situated within the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland. The hub will equip manufacturers of all scales with the necessary skills and technologies to embrace circularity, thereby extending the lifespan of products and components. Through methods like remanufacturing and refurbishing, the initiative aims to achieve a remarkable 99% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to conventional manufacturing.
Given that less than 2% of products manufactured in the UK currently undergo such circular processes, the ReMake hub represents a transformative opportunity to reshape production methodologies and support local businesses in transitioning towards a circular economy.
The consortium behind ReMake Glasgow is actively collaborating with regional SMEs and key partners like Howden, SSE Renewables, Renewable Parts, British Airways Maintenance Glasgow, Boeing in Glasgow, and ATS Global to pioneer new approaches to remanufacture high-value components.
Chris Courtney, CEO of NMIS, emphasized the strategic significance of these projects in empowering sector growth while bolstering sustainability at a grassroots level. By fostering collaboration across key manufacturing themes, these initiatives aim to position companies at the forefront of data-driven, sustainable advanced manufacturing.
The second NMIS-led project, Data Driven Design and Manufacturing Colab (D3M_Colab), will leverage data science to address real-world manufacturing challenges and enhance productivity. This initiative includes upskilling 300 individuals through 100 hours of free training, complemented by transformational projects within their workplaces supported by NMIS experts and University of Strathclyde PhD students.
In parallel, the third initiative, Stratellite, led by NMIS’s Lightweight Manufacturing Centre (LMC), targets Scotland’s burgeoning satellite manufacturing sector. This project focuses on developing an innovative, scalable production system in collaboration with Thales, automating precision manufacturing processes for large satellites while ensuring applicability for smaller businesses across diverse sectors.
These transformative projects are part of the Glasgow City Region Innovation Accelerator programme, supported by Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation, with additional contributions from project partners. This programme, investing £100 million in 26 pioneering R&D projects, aims to accelerate the growth of high-potential innovation clusters across the UK, including Glasgow City Region.