THE First Minister opened a research and development (R&D) hub in Renfrewshire this morning.
The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland's (NMIS) flagship facility is at the heart of the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) next to Glasgow Airport.
Acting as a magnet for advanced manufacturing in Scotland and across the globe, the distinctive heather-coloured, 11,500m2 operationally carbon-neutral campus will support manufacturing, engineering and associated technology businesses of all sizes.
Innovative R&D will help them to become more productive, tap into emerging markets, embrace new technologies, and achieve net-zero targets.
Opening the building alongside Humza Yousaf was NMIS CEO Chris Courtney; professor Sir Jim McDonald, chair of the NMIS Board and principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Strathclyde; Katherine Bennett, CEO of the UK’s High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult; and Adrian Gillespie, CEO of Scottish Enterprise, as well as senior delegates from across industry, academia, and the public sector.
The First Minister said: “The opening of NMIS is an exciting moment – it will ensure that Scotland’s long history of innovation and engineering continues and also supports our drive to net zero.
“Scotland is one of the most innovative nations in the world. By bringing together research, industry and the public sector, this facility will allow companies of all sizes to embrace creative manufacturing techniques and support cutting-edge research.
“Manufacturing is critical to our long-term economic recovery and this centre, which the Scottish Government provided funding of £75 million towards, will support that.
“Today we are publishing the first annual progress report on our National Strategy for Economic Transformation.
“NMIS is a tangible example of the partnership working it promotes, showing our commitment to delivering for both business and people.”
The new facility will be home to the NMIS Manufacturing Skills Academy, fully connected Digital Factory, and publicly accessible collaboration hub.
The Lightweight Manufacturing Centre (LMC) – which is also part of the NMIS group – will relocate from its current base in Renfrewshire, splitting its operations between the new building and NMIS’s founding centre the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC).
Featuring a variety of technology zones dedicated to growth areas, the NMIS Digital Factory will include a food and drink cyber-physical demonstrator, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) connected shop floor, a factory command centre, and a hub dedicated to helping manufacturers embrace the circular economy and extend the life of their products and systems.
The factory demonstrates the vast potential of digital technologies in helping manufacturers improve their products and processes in the drive towards a net-zero economy, while still increasing productivity.
The facility was built by Morrison Construction, part of the Galliford Try Group, and designed by Glasgow-based HLM Architects.
It features clean and innovative low-carbon solutions to mitigate its impact on the environment, including a large-scale rooftop solar array for electricity generation, access to a state-of-the-art low-carbon district heating network, and rainwater harvesting system.
Chris Courtney, CEO of the NMIS, which is operated by the University of Strathclyde, added: “A facility of this scale and ambition doesn't happen by chance. Thank you to our colleagues and partners, who have worked together tirelessly for many years to make it a reality. It's been a truly collaborative effort – from creating a shared vision of NMIS to delivering our world-class new building.
"We now move into a phase of delivering on those ambitions through intense collaboration with industry and providing innovative solutions to their most challenging problems.
"Scotland has a strong manufacturing sector – supporting world-renowned capabilities in the maritime industry, renewable energies, food and drink, the satellites and space industry and many others. We also benefit from world-leading universities and a growing number of ambitious technology entrepreneurs.
"NMIS can play a crucial role in harnessing this potential to impact what we make and how we make it more sustainably and efficiently. There is a real industrial demand for greener, innovative technology solutions that harness the power of digitalisation, along with the future skills that we all need to thrive. We will work with our industry partners, talented team and the wider ecosystem to deliver this brighter manufacturing future."
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