Groundwork begins on £32m Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering

CONSTRUCTION has begun on a new £32m facility for The Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering in Coventry.

Senior figures from Coventry University and Unipart donned their high-visibility jackets and hard hats to take part in the groundbreaking ceremony at the manufacturing firm’s Beresford Avenue site.

It marks the start of a six-month construction project by Lindum Group, which will create a 1,700m² manufacturing and R&D centre for the training of more than 40 undergraduates and post-graduates in the first year.

To mark the ceremony, new institute director, Carl Perrin also announced a commitment to spend over £2m on robotic automation, forming, joining, analysis and simulation, metrology and product verification technology.

“AME is set to pioneer a new higher education model for manufacturing degrees, offering a blend of innovative activity-led teaching, product development and research to create a unique learning environment,” he said.

“Our dedicated facility is absolutely key to this and a lot of time has been taken in shaping the design and layout to ensure we create a world class manufacturing and engineering environment that inspires the next generation of engineers.”

The AME is a joint collaboration between Coventry University and Unipart.

Its aim is to develop the next generation of highly skilled, specialist engineers and operational leaders by providing students with direct access to Unipart’s operations, allowing them to work on ‘live’ issues in a real world manufacturing production environment.

All of the courses have been shaped by leading minds in academia and industry, with a particular focus on design, metrology, manufacturing and mechanical systems.

Perrin, who previously worked at Rolls-Royce and Dana Glacier Vandervell, said another element of the centre would be its focus on accelerating the next generation of fuel systems and powertrains for the transport sector.

“We have already secured a number of research projects and this will give our students a fantastic opportunity to play their part in developing processes and technologies that will help make ‘moving around’ quieter, cleaner and more efficient,” he said.

“Over time this will involve disseminating our research for the benefit of Unipart customers, suppliers and the wider UK manufacturing base.”