SMART MANUFACTURING
management staff. I look forward to
meeting you in 2021, where we aim to
have our Confirm HQ Physical launch,
where you will be able to experience
first-hand the major advances in Smart
Manufacturing,” added Professor
McCarthy.
Commenting on the centre, UL
President Professor Kerstin Mey said:
“Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19,
industry was very cognisant of the
importance of research impact. The
past period has shown that the sharing
of knowledge and insights across
disciplines and geographic boundaries
can be of huge benefit to a community
as a whole.
“During this time, CONFIRM
completed and created a new dynamic
space to highlight the value of
collaboration and sharing of expertise,
facilities and connectivity in smart
manufacturing.
“UL and its hosting of CONFIRM is
leading the way in the fourth industrial
revolution and therefore amplifying its
strength in research. The figures are
there to support the importance of the
manufacturing sector in Ireland with
4,000 manufacturing enterprises
contributing €112 billion in exports and
employing 440,000 directly and
indirectly.
“In support of that, the new bespoke
facility will see the development of
smart innovations at CONFIRM and
subsequently increase competitiveness
for those engaged in the sector.
“The CONFIRM HQ will enable
research to develop future smart
manufacturing technologies, build on
the talent within our community and
the engaged public to change the
perception of manufacturing in Ireland
and therefore allow for a community of
30 » JANUARY 2021 » WWW.MADEIN.IE
practice to embrace the 4th Industrial
revolution together.
“This is a very exciting time for
CONFIRM, UL and impactful
development research as a whole,”
Professor Mey added.
UL Vice President for Research (VPR)
Professor Norelee Kennedy said: “The
Confirm involved in
DENiM project
Cork Institute of Technology’s
Nimbus Centre will lead a new
EU funded research project to
deliver energy-efficiency in the
manufacturing sector, which aims to
accelerate the digital transformation
of manufacturing processes to
enable significant reduction of
energy consumption.
Dr Alan McGibney, Nimbus
Centre, CIT and funded investigator
at Confirm, the Science Foundation
Ireland (SFI) Research Centre
for Smart Manufacturing and Dr
Susan Rea, Nimbus Centre, CIT
have been awarded a project valued
over €11 million from the European
Commission through the Horizon
2020 Technologies for Factories of
the Future programme, this is a four
year initiative to address the need
for energy-efficient manufacturing
system management. The DENiM
project will provide a novel
technological solution to enable
industry utilise advanced digital
technologies to manage resources
and processes more effectively
and ensure energy efficiency is an
integral part of the manufacturing
hosting of Confirm builds on the
University of Limerick’s long history of
involvement in manufacturing by
bringing together the various aspects of
manufacturing research, education and
industry engagement.
“In recognition of the importance of
Confirm to the University over €3.1
million in funding has been allocated to
support the development of Confirm HQ
as well as the creation of a number of
academic posts to support its ambitions.
Confirm, with its unique focus on cyber
physical manufacturing, allows for the
development of new areas of discovery
that further builds on UL’s strengths
including mathematics, robotics, health
and materials.
“We are delighted to host the centre
and to work with our colleagues
internationally, nationally and in the
Mid-West to ensure Confirm becomes a
global leader in the field of smart
manufacturing and that it delivers
cutting edge research in the field of
manufacturing,” she added. MADE
decision processes. “Digital
technologies will play a significant
role by providing the ability to
automatically monitor and optimise
energy usage, while also informing
users on the environmental and
economic impact of decisions made
at all stages of the manufacturing
process.“ explains project lead Dr
McGibney. At the core of the DENiM
project is close collaboration with
industrial partners who represent
the key stakeholders in evaluating
the solutions across four complex
industrial sectors. These pilots
will validate the applicability of
key enabling digital technologies
as a solution for effective energy
management, contributing to best
practices that can maximise impact
across the EU manufacturing
landscape. The project will further
demonstrate leadership in both the
uptake of digital technologies and
sustainable manufacturing that can
be replicated across other energyintensive
sectors.
The project includes a consortium
of 18 partner organizations led
by Cork Institute of Technology
bringing together a strong team
of partners across 8 European
countries.
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