Heavy engineering group DavyMarkham has signed up to become the first tier two member of the new Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre.
By becoming a member of the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) consortium, Sheffield-based DavyMarkham gains access to a wealth of resources to help build its presence in the civil nuclear supply chain.
The Nuclear AMRC provides advanced research and development in manufacturing and engineering and is based on the same collaborative model as the established University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing. The AMRC is designed to help manufacturing companies prepare to help build the new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK and will also help provide member companies with training and other business support.
“This is a unique opportunity for all suppliers to the UK’s new nuclear build program to align their businesses and operations to the high standards which are demanded by the industry,” says Kevin Parkin, Managing Director of DavyMarkham. “By developing new manufacturing, process and control techniques, the research facility will be able to provide companies with a competitive position with which to become world-class players in the new nuclear build…We are pleased to be a part of this exciting opportunity.”
The Nuclear AMRC has a two-tier membership structure, depending on a company’s position in the supply chain. Founding Tier One industrial partners include leading nuclear reactor providers Areva and Westinghouse; power systems provider Rolls-Royce; and steel engineering group Sheffield Forgemasters International. By becoming a Tier Two member, DavyMarkham puts itself at the heart of the civil nuclear manufacturing industry in the UK.
Professor Keith Ridgway, Research Director of the Nuclear AMRC, says that in the UK alone, £40bn will be spent on new-build nuclear reactors in the near future and he is looking “forward to working closely with DavyMarkham to help them build their capabilities to supply the nuclear industry. “UK-based firms need to understand the opportunities and requirements of supplying goods and services to the nuclear market,” he says. “We can help give them the support that they need.”
DavyMarkham was recently acquired by Indian engineering procurement and construction company, Hindustan Dorr Oliver, a subsidiary of IVRCL Infrastructures & Projects.
