Amey, one of the UK’s leading public and regulated services providers and engineering consultancy, has become the latest member of the pioneering Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry – the first new member to be signed up in 2015. Amey, a key player in engineering, asset management and strategic infrastructure - responsible for major road, rail, aviation, utilities, local and central government and defence projects throughout the UK and overseas, has joined the Coventry-based Manufacturing Technology Centre as a prestigious tier one member.
The company aims to work with Manufacturing Technology Centre engineers and technicians to develop technology-driven solutions to health and safety issues, and research innovative ways of removing the risks associated with hazardous environments including working at height, working underwater and working close to road and rail infrastructure.
Manufacturing Technology Centre chief executive Dr Clive Hickman said that Amey was the first member to represent the civil engineering sector and the Manufacturing Technology Centre was delighted to have one of the most globally respected companies on board.
“While the core purpose of the Manufacturing Technology Centre is to support manufacturing, the expertise of the centre is fundamentally about process control and realisation, which does not necessarily have to be associated with manufacturing. The Manufacturing Technology Centre's core competences include remote technology, robotics, cybernetics, visualisation and simulation, all of which can be appropriate to Amey’s needs,” he said.
Andy Milner, managing director of Amey’s Consulting and Strategic Infrastructure business said, “As part of our relentless efforts to ensure zero harm, our collaboration with the Manufacturing Technology Centre is focussed on improving safety for our people, who deliver vital public services in hazardous work environments every day. Together we aim to find innovative solutions to eliminate or minimise risks that our employees and sub-contractors are exposed to when working on roads, railways, at height or underwater.
“Working with Manufacturing Technology Centre will help us to fuel new ideas and provides the facility to simulate, test and demonstrate potential innovations. We look forward to working together to drive technology-driven solutions for safety,” he added.
The Manufacturing Technology Centre opened in 2011 and has already achieved most of its 2020 targets. It is a partnership between some of the UK’s major global manufacturers and three forward-thinking universities: Birmingham, Nottingham and Loughborough as well as TWI Ltd, the operating division of The Welding Institute.
The Manufacturing Technology Centre aims to provide a competitive environment to bridge the gap between university-based research and the development of innovative manufacturing solutions, in line with the Government’s manufacturing strategy.