The High Value Manufacturing Strategy was launched by Iain Gray, chief executive at the Technology Strategy Board, during the third National Manufacturing Debate at Cranfield University yesterday.
High value manufacturing accounted for 35% of all UK exports in 2010, contributing £151bn to the UK balance of payments.
A significant part of the process which helped the HVM team to both inform and formulate the strategy was to draw extensively on the findings of the study, A landscape for the future of UK manufacturing, carried out by Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) at the University of Cambridge, which was published by the TSB in February 2012.
The TSB has identified the food and drink, marine and transport, pharmaceuticals and aerospace sectors as those with high growth potential.
To accelerate businesses on innovation and concept to commercialisation the TSB plans to:
- Double direct investment in high value manufacturing innovation to around £50m a year
- Focus investment in the most attractive technologies and market sectors where the UK can become an important player in large global markets
- Make investment choices using a set of 22 manufacturing competencies to ensure support is focused on where there is greatest potential to deliver high-value economic impact. These 22 competencies are based around the five strategic themes of resource efficiency, manufacturing processes, materials integration, manufacturing systems and business models.
- Invest in the HVM Catapult to provide the cutting-edge equipment and the skilled resources our businesses need to commercialise their world-class technologies
- Provide open access to the most effective platforms for knowledge exchange
The TSB has selected to focus on advancing UK manufacturing technologies against the scarcity of energy and other resources. It will channel its funds into supporting the creation of innovative products using new materials, coatings and electronics, with new manufacturing technologies.
The Manufacturer has selected the best of the report’s opportunities for business below:
- Design and manufacture for sustainability and through-life engineering will enable manufacturers to sell more service-based contracts. Designing with through-life in mind will reduce the cost of carrying out any MRO.
- Design and manufacture for lightweight vehicles, structures and devices to reduce energy consumption.
- Alternative bio- and synthetic-based sources for new and existing products and processes.
- Miniturisation, design and manufacture of smaller products sucgh as specialised drugs, batteries and electronics. High precision and micro/nano-engineered products and processes and integration with macro-scale.
- Autonomy applications to increase efficiency in production and servicing.
- Application of modularity, or ‘plug and play’ manufacturing, to develop a high-volume production environment where units can be combined in a flexible manner and taken apart to service more effectively.
- Tool-less and one-shot manufacturing to speed up manufacture times.
- Use of new sensor/non-destructive testing (NDT) devices to capture live data.
- Additive manufacturing to reduce waste.
For more information go to the high value manufacturing page and download the PDF.
