Cosworth to create niche production Centre of Excellence

Posted on 5 Mar 2014 by Tim Brown

Performance engineering and manufacturing group, Cosworth, has revealed details of a collaborative R&D programme, which will create a Centre of Excellence for niche volume manufacturing at its Northampton campus.

Cosworth will be the lead partner in the programme, which will apply best of breed informatics systems from Flexeye, and world class research from Cranfield University, to address challenges in flexible manufacturing, intelligent quality assurance and supply chain management.

Supported by a grant from the UK Government’s Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI), the programme will form a key component in Cosworth’s strategy to develop world-leading flexible manufacturing systems to deliver the next generation of automotive internal combustion engines.

Hal Reisiger, Cosworth CEO said: “With Automotive Propulsion a key component of the UK’s industrial growth strategy, we welcome the forward thinking of BIS and AMSCI in supporting Cosworth’s long-term structured investment in the Technology, Manufacturing and Skills needed to establish our new facility in Northampton. Cosworth’s position as an independent high performance engineering and manufacturing business enables us to work with a range of automotive vehicle manufacturers and technology partners.”

Cosworth’s new engine manufacturing facility in the UK will house some of the most advanced technologies and will be supported by the world-leading Manufacturing Informatics research expertise at Cranfield University.

“We will develop novel assembly optimisation algorithms and supply chain modelling/visualisation techniques to enable flexible manufacturing at Cosworth using latest informatics technologies,” said Professor Ashutosh Tiwari, Professor of Manufacturing Informatics at Cranfield University.

Will Searle, Managing Director of Axillium Research, said: “Axillium Research is delighted to support Cosworth in the development of this high-performance Centre of Excellence in the heart of the UK.  Our own growth is supported by Cosworth’s Jubilee programme and our research and innovation team are working directly with the partners to bring the project to life.  I’m very proud of everyone’s role in the project and look forward to supporting the Centre in creating jobs and bringing technological innovation from motorsport into the mainstream automotive industry.”