Analytics software firm recruited for smart manufacturing pilot project
Manufacturing analytics software company, FourJaw, is teaming up with University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) to accelerate adoption of low-cost digital technologies in manufacturing.
This is part of an £867,000 pilot project, designed to create digitally savvy engineers of the future.
The NextGen project will see AMRC select 14 businesses, ten from South Yorkshire and four from Wales to receive FourJaw’s plug and play machine monitoring technology.
This will enable it to drive productivity by providing data insight that helps to optimise its production processes and make more informed business decisions.
The pilot project is funded through the High-Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult and is aimed at addressing the future of data science and the current analytic skills shortage in the manufacturing sector.
Sheffield-based FourJaw, which started life as an AMRC spin-out company, has simplified Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) by creating an easy-to-use and affordable machine monitoring system which delivers data that can be used to ensure machines are being used to their full potential.
Chris Iveson, co-founder and CEO of FourJaw, said: “We aim to help manufacturers solve their two biggest problems: how do they find more work, and how do they manufacture that work on time, to spec, and within budget.
“Our IIoT machine monitoring solution enables this by giving manufacturers the data visibility to improve their shop floor productivity by understanding the main causes of downtime.
“We’re pleased to have been chosen to be part of this programme and look forward to working alongside the AMRC and the 14 manufacturers selected to demonstrate the value smart technology can provide manufacturers of all sizes.”
Once the data has been gathered, it will be analysed by apprentices at the AMRC, allowing them to experience working with data analytics, learn new skills and create digital savvy engineers.
Head of research at Factory 2050 for the AMRC, Tom Hodgson, said: “We are pleased to have FourJaw working on the project with us.
“They are a dynamic company that has an innovative product that is not only easy to set up but also delivers reliable data that is presented in a way that is easy to analyse. The fact that they are a spin-out company shows just how a company with a great product can grow and develop.
“The project will act as a showcase for how industrial digital technologies can benefit manufacturing organisations of all sizes and how digital tools can be used in these environments.”
