Manufacturing in Liverpool is perhaps best known by its quarter of a million cars that are made each year in the region; and for Europe’s biggest bio-manufacturing cluster.
Oh and least we forget, it is also – this week – hosting The Manufacturer’s, Digital Manufacturing Week at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool. The UK’s largest gathering of senior decision makers and leaders in the sector.
There is no ambiguity, concern or question that manufacturing is a vital asset to the Liverpool City Region economy.
One of the arguably biggest opportunities for manufacturing firms in Liverpool City Region is the access to a new ports and logistics infrastructure.
In total, manufacturing in the region supports nearly 50,000 staff in 3,000 companies, and directly contributes £3.2bn to Britain’s overall economy.
Manufacturing expertise is vast in Liverpool
Liverpool is not only making things here though; they are making them better, greener, safer and more efficient.
We can report here from the Smart Factory Expo – Europe’s biggest manufacturing conference in Liverpool – that this is true.
From LPW to Unilever, Pilkington, Ineos and Astra Zeneca, as well as innovative SME’s, engineering companies and manufacturing start-ups, the breadth and draw of manufacturing in Liverpool is diverse and strong.
CEO and founder of LPW, Dr Phil Carroll, told TM in a previous interview: “Liverpool’s local government has been brilliant, helping us find sites and supporting us in putting the new buildings together. I never thought I would say that about a council!
“AMSCI [Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative] gave us a grant of £3m and LCR 4.0 also advise us on electronic design.”
Liverpool is part of advanced manufacturing, particularly with the presence of LCR4.0 – a team bringing together world-class, practical support to transform Liverpool City Region businesses in the manufacturing space through digital innovation.
The region also continues to invest in the future; super computing; robotics, virtual reality, internet of things, sensor technology, big data and science. In fact, Liverpool has got the largest super computing facility for industrial applications in Britain, and the highest concentration of robotics for materials science in the world.
Liverpool Exhibition Centre hosts Digital Manufacturing Week
Today, Europe’s biggest digital manufacturing show, Smart Factory Expo, was welcomed to the city by the mayor of Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram. You can read all about that here.
Digital Manufacturing Week is being held over this week at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool, and is delivered to you by the team behind Britain’s premier manufacturing magazine, The Manufacturer.
For the next two days, expertise, technology and opportunity will be brought together to showcase the buoyant, agile and resourceful sector that is UK manufacturing – with over 5,500 manufacturing executives set to flood through the doors at Smart Factory Expo.
In fact, the event showcases more digital manufacturing companies under one-roof than anywhere else – with over 102 seminars from industry leaders set to be held over the forthcoming days.
What is the future for advanced manufacturing in Liverpool City Region?
Liverpool can, and is, becoming a manufacturing global hotspot. A manufacturing environment with several clusters of excellence that could provide the perfect framework to produce high value goods and services.
We all know that change is coming. Manufacturing needs to be able to adapt to new innovations, challenges, technology and infrastructure to continue to be cost effective, agile and a leader.
By further sharing knowledge and experience, developing new models and processes, the region can further strengthen its already advanced industry.
Perhaps then, it comes as no surprise that the Fourth Industrial Revolution driven by digital technology and innovations, sees Liverpool City Region leading the charge.
