AMRC Cymru has become a ‘national asset’ since opening five years ago with a mission to supercharge Welsh manufacturing by using advanced technologies and world-leading research to deliver improvements and innovation that businesses need to grow and thrive.
Since opening in November 2019, the North Wales research centre has made a significant impact on industry, it says, having worked with more than 100 businesses to help make things faster, cheaper and greener, and delivered in excess of 20 programmes teaching companies how to digitally measure their energy use.
Based in a £20 million state-of-the-art applied research centre in Broughton, funded by the Welsh Government, AMRC Cymru is managed by the University of Sheffield and is part of the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult, a consortium strategic innovation hub for UK industry, established and supported by Innovate UK.
Rebecca Evans, Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, said the investment was made because the Welsh Government ‘knew the difference it could make to North Wales, manufacturing and the wider Welsh economy’.
She added:
“The facility has quickly established itself as a significant asset in our R&D ecosystem, helping more than 100 Welsh businesses innovate, develop new products and future proof.
“I look forward to seeing the centre continue to play a critical role in Wales' advanced manufacturing future as we work together with partners to boost productivity, attract further investment and create high-quality, sustainable jobs.”
The milestone anniversary for the centre comes in the same month Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer named AMRC Cymru as ‘a world-renowned research institution’ as part of his announcement confirming a £160 million investment zone that will go live in north east Wales next year, focused on the advanced manufacturing cluster.
AMRC Cymru’s research director, Andy Silcox, was a member of the investment zone’s shadow board, playing a prominent part in Wrexham and Flintshire’s success to become an investment zone. He said it had been one of many highlights of the past five years while leading AMRC Cymru, which have been the most rewarding of his career.
Andy added:
“We have managed to engage with a diverse range of Welsh businesses across a multitude of manufacturing sectors, and I'm proud that we have been able to make a positive contribution to everyone we have worked with.
“Equally satisfying has been to witness the growth and development of our super talented team of young engineers. And we must say a big thank you to the Welsh Government which has put its faith in us to deliver impact for the Welsh manufacturing sector.”
The food and drink sector contributes significantly to the Welsh economy, but with tight profit margins, there is less investment in research and development. One of the 100 businesses the AMRC Cymru team has engaged with since 2019 is The Pudding Compartment, an award-winning producer of premium puddings, based in Flint. AMRC Cymru helped create a new state-of-the-art production line for the business, introducing advanced automation and digital data that is revolutionising the business – resulting in record output and attracting new customers.
To date more than 50 small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) have also been supported on their digital and sustainable manufacturing journey through AMRC Cymru’s assist programmes, which are fully funded through the UK Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocations to local councils. These programmes have provided local manufacturers with access to advanced manufacturing technology, knowledge transfer, training and upskilling in digital and decarbonisation strategies.
Airbus played a fundamental part in the creation of AMRC Cymru, establishing itself as a tenant in the AMRC Cymru building to develop its next generation wing technologies under its ‘Wing of Tomorrow’ programme, which is part of a global Airbus investment in research and innovation.
Since then, AMRC Cymru has worked closely with Airbus to better understand its needs, with a goal of delivering exceptional value on a programme of immense importance to UK aerospace – the development of the next generation of single-aisle aircraft.
Away from the aerospace sector, the AMRC Cymru team has made strides in the agricultural sector, which is a key part of supply chains for a range of industries, but is under increasing pressure to produce high-quality, low-cost food for the population, whilst reducing environmental impacts.
Amongst a host of challenges, two key aspects compounding the pressures of the sector are labour shortages and consistency of operations. In response, AMRC Cymru is leading the AgBot project – the UK’s first commercially available fully-autonomous tractor.
Through the AgBot and its trials at Coleg Glynllifon, AMRC Cymru is looking to de-risk technology so that informed decisions can be made by farmers in these challenging times.
Such successes continue to build confidence in how innovation can transform Welsh industries, as seen with the recent opening of a new HVM Catapult site in South Wales, HVM Catapult Baglan. Here, AMRC Cymru engineers will run a digital factory hub, giving manufacturers access to state-of-the-art equipment to help them boost their productivity and sustainability, advance manufacturing technology innovation and support Wales’ green industrial transformation.
Katherine Bennett, CEO of HVM Catapult, reflected on the centre’s critical role to manufacturing just months after opening when, during the Covid-19 pandemic, it was turned into a production base for life saving ventilators.
She wished AMRC Cymru ‘Llongyfarchiadau’ on its fifth anniversary, adding:
“I know from my time at Airbus how important the site has been for Welsh industry. It has proved itself a true national asset – first as a production facility for thousands of ventilators and now helping manufacturers large and small become more profitable, sustainable and competitive.
“Here's to many more years of supercharging Welsh manufacturing.”
AMRC Cymru said it wants to create a vision of what Wales can be, which is why it is establishing itself in the new era of clean energy. The centre has teamed up with Japan Marine United as part of a strategic research partnership to develop floating offshore wind (FLOW) power in Wales, and the rest of the UK, with ambitions of creating supply chain opportunities for Welsh industry that will transform the industrial landscape.
Jason Murphy, strategy and commercial director at AMRC Cymru, said in the next five years, AMRC Cymru has the potential to ‘start moving the economic dial for Wales’, creating indigenous supply chains and improving sustainability across the manufacturing industry.
He added:
“While the rapid pace of technological change can be overwhelming, success in business remains fundamentally driven by human relationships and collaboration. Striking this balance will be crucial as we work to drive economic growth in Wales by developing a world-class manufacturing sector over the next decade.”
