involvement with the machine tool industry, with its
Precision Engineering Group backing this initiative (PTG
regularly partners with Huddersfield on product
development programmes in precision manufacturing,
in fact). The AMP Institute clearly draws on a deep vein
of UK expertise, knowledge and research, importantly
giving these a single home and centre of gravity.
ON SIMMER FOR A WHILE
The institute is no overnight idea itself, either. It is the
result of a 10-or-more-year on-off conversation between
Bannan and Shore, with foundations laid in 2017, by
which time the latter was at the NPL. A workshop report
addressing what was seen as a missing element in the
much-quoted Made Smarter Review was published in
2018 by NPL, and this provides a detailed backdrop to
what the AMP Institute seeks to address (see box,
p14). The envisaged operation can be considered to be
a Fraunhofer-style model and one that addresses a
different need to the High Value Manufacturing Catapult
network – pre-Catapult, if you will. “We want to think
about manufacturing processes and technologies that
don’t exist today. There is nothing out there that does
that right now and the Catapult Centres are not set up
to do it,” Bannan advises. “We would hope that the
outputs and innovation that companies working with the
AMP Institute generate could then be demonstrated in
the Catapult Centres,” adds NPL’s strategy lead.
Expanding on his opening point, Edwards says:
“We’re speaking to a view within the community that
says ‘it’s too late, UK manufacturing has gone, don’t
bother’. What we are saying is that we’re not trying to
get back and compete with stuff you can buy off the
shelf in a cost-effective way. What we’re trying to do is
take advantage of everything that does still exist and is
still strong about the UK and leapfrog to the next
generation of machinery. So we’re talking about
automated, self-learning, intelligent systems; bringing
them to life before others do and taking a lead in that
area. And a key part of that will be creating the skilled
individuals able to do that, of course.”
Driving skills and education is a key element, both at
apprenticeship level – “an important piece of the
picture” – and university level, supporting machinerymaking
companies and users large and small. For
apprenticeships, it is likely that a new course framework
would need to be established; at degree level, existing
offerings will probably provide a good foundation. “This
is why it’s so important for us to have academic
partners on board, because they are the experts; this is
what they do. We’ll be looking to them to help shape
and the code delivery of this element,” Edwards adds.
As to what areas the AMP Institute will concern itself
with, Bannan explains: “We’re focused on the
technologies that will be required by understanding the
nature of future manufacturing. So, for example, we’re
looking at metrology as a key part, hence the
engagement of NPL. We want to appeal to all machinery
manufacturers, which will include machine tools, but
packaging and converting machinery, possibly additivetype
technologies, and so on. We want also to support
machinery users, those making a product. So, say, an
electronic product or some kind of componentry that
goes into a larger system that requires special
machinery to make it and where there is potentially a
competitive and technological advantage to the
company in having advanced machinery to make that
product with.
“Elsewhere, a lot of bigger companies have a few
people in a back room somewhere just building
Above: The AMP
Institute (artist’s
impression) will
not be splashing
out huge sums
of any cash won
on buildings and
equipment, but
there will be a
modest, modern
HQ in Rochdale,
precise location
yet to be decided
12 October 2020 | www.machinery.co.uk | MachineryMagazine | @MachineryTweets
/www.machinery.co.uk