Monday Interview: Colin Sirett chief executive of the AMRC
COLIN Sirett took on the role at the world-class centre for advanced machining and materials research, the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre in Sheffield last month, in the midst of a challenging period for the industry as a whole.
The state of the manufacturing industry in Yorkshire and the UK is looking bleak, affected by a slowdown in the industry as a whole. The CBI Industrial Trends Survey found that output volumes over the three months to March 2016 fell at the fastest pace since September 2009.
High-value manufacturing sectors may be the way forward as more traditional sectors are crushed by the ability to manufacture more cheaply across the globe and “missed opportunities” from the Government to implement growth-driving measures, amongst other things.
The AMRC however is one of the sites where the Government has launched its science and innovation audits to identify areas of “global competitive advantage across the UK.”
“There’s a level of growth that is happening in supply chains for key industries including aerospace and automotive,” said Mr Sirett said, “and the AMRC is positioning itself to support direct into the supply chains of these industries.”
It is also a hotbed of innovation, where advanced industries can test new theories and ensure they are scaleable.
“Companies are incredibly busy,” said Mr Sirett. “They don’t have assets available 24 hrs a day we can give them somewhere they can try new things. It’s kind of a safe house for businesses.”
One of the biggest developments this year so far this year is the £43m Factory 2050, launched in December 2015. Mr Sirett said the “reconfigurable factory”, will continue to grow as a place where companies can develop products, but also their “digital twin” – using informatics to generate a huge amount of data.
Mr Sirett said: “At Factory 2050, we can digitally can represent dimensions, properties and testing so when final product is produced it is absolutely perfect first time.”
The success story that is the AMRC has seen it partner with Boeing, attract Rolls Royce, Airbus, as well as tooling solutions provider Nikken – which set up a European research centre on the same park due to its proximity to the research centre.
Mr Sirett said that it was not only major companies that were billed at the AMRC. He said: “A lot of innovation comes from supply chain rather than the bigger companies themselves who are focused on end product
“You’ve got a whole supply chain looking at what is the best solution for this small part.”
The future is looking bright for the types of manufacturing that the AMRC attracts.
“Last year for the UK was a record output for cars, and the majority of those going to export very buoyant market. Aerospace demand for air travel set to double in next few years,” said Mr Sirett.
“We look at long term trends rather than knee jerk reactions. Technology can’t focus on knee jerk trends, it has to be long term, and involve sustained investment.
We’ve got big challenges, long term, and are prepared to invest as a nation.”
