£15m deal cements reputation of Liverpool City Region for advanced manufacturing

Posted on 28 Oct 2019 by The Manufacturer

World-leading research and technology organisation, the Manufacturing Technology Centre is expanding its reach into the North in a move expected to create more than 40 highly skilled jobs.

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is expected to approve a grant for £15m next week in order to enable the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) to expand its facilities.

The proposed investment would enable the MTC to develop an open access Digital Manufacturing Accelerator that will comprise two assets:

  • a Rapidly Reconfigurable Factory Environment – a digitally enabled ‘Factory in a Box’ test bed at the MTC’s recently opened centre in the Knowledge Quarter
  • and, a Digital Factory Environment at STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council) Daresbury in Halton

These facilities enable companies to test and develop their manufacturing processes and systems and use digital technology to enable them to become more productive and successful.


The Factory in a Box demonstrator in action - MTC

The Factory in a Box demonstrator in action – image courtesy of MTC.


See the Factory in a Box for yourself

For the first time ever, the MTC’s Factory in a Box will be leaving Coventry to be showcased on the show floor of Smart Factory Expo –  13-14 Nov 2019 | Exhibition Centre Liverpool

The Factory in a Box is an industrial-scale demonstrator, showcasing how advanced industrial digital technologies can benefit manufacturers and their supply chains by combining  several industrial digital technologies in an autonomous, rapidly deployable, remote-controlled modular unit.

As the biggest digital manufacturing show in Europe, Smart Factory Expo is the perfect platform to demonstrate Smart Factory technologies working seamlessly together in the real world for exhibition visitors.

Smart Factory Expo is part of Digital Manufacturing Week, which is researched and produced by The Manufacturer.

Click the image below to register:

Housing some of the most advanced manufacturing equipment in the world, and with facilities in Coventry and the Liverpool City Region (having recently expanded into the Liverpool Science Park), the MTC provides a high quality environment for the development and demonstration of new technologies on an industrial scale, supporting skills, productivity and growth across the UK manufacturing industry.

The MTC is one of the UK’s network of High Value Manufacturing Catapult centres, and was established to prove innovative manufacturing processes and technologies in an agile environment in partnership with industry, academia and other institutions.

The centre provides a unique opportunity for manufacturers to develop new and innovative processes and technologies, working across the automotive, aerospace, construction, defence, rail, informatics, fast-moving consumer goods and electronics sectors.


Charlie Whitford, associate director for strategic development (MTC); Jonathon Shaw, director of technical resources (MTC); Pepper the humanoid robot; Hannah Edmonds, technical specialist (MTC); and Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram.

Charlie Whitford, associate director for strategic development (MTC); Jonathon Shaw, director of technical resources (MTC); Pepper the humanoid robot; Hannah Edmonds, technical specialist (MTC); and Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram – image courtesy of MTC.


Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor, said: “The Liverpool City Region is already a hotbed of advanced manufacturing activity and we are leading the way, nationally and internationally.

“The funding will have the twin benefits of delivering solutions for established industries whilst also providing a space in which innovative and responsive SMEs can develop.

“Being able to support facilities like this, which will drive the city region’s economic fortunes, is one of the main reasons we are so keen to take more decisions locally.”

The MTC’s strategic development director, Neil Rawlinson commented: “At the MTC, we believe our purpose is to have a positive impact on society. We know we can do that by working in partnership with the Liverpool City Region innovation community.

“We are excited to be expanding our facilities and services in the Liverpool region, working with our partners and regional stakeholders to help manufacturers in the North West region stay competitive, improve product development and benefit from new manufacturing and digital technologies.”