The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) has opened its new flagship facility at the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) in Renfrewshire.
Aiming to act as a magnet for manufacturing in Scotland and across the globe, the heather-coloured, 11,500 sq m, operationally carbon neutral campus next to Glasgow Airport will support manufacturing, engineering and technology businesses of all sizes.
Scotland’s manufacturing sector employs more than 179,000 people and is responsible for more than 50% of the country’s international exports and 47% of business expenditure on research and development.
The new facility will be home to the NMIS Manufacturing Skills Academy, a connected Digital Factory and publicly-accessible collaboration hub. The Lightweight Manufacturing Centre (LMC) - which is also part of the NMIS group - will relocate from its current base in Renfrewshire, splitting its operations between the new building and NMIS’ founding centre the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC).
Featuring a variety of technology zones dedicated to growth areas, the NMIS Digital Factory will include a food and drink cyber-physical demonstrator, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) connected shop floor, a factory command centre, and a hub dedicated to helping manufacturers embrace the circular economy and extend the life of their products and systems.
The factory demonstrates the vast potential of digital technologies in helping manufacturers improve their products and processes in the drive towards a net zero economy, while still increasing productivity.
The building was opened by First Minister Humza Yousaf at a ceremony yesterday, alongside NMIS chief executive Chris Courtney, NMIS board chair Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Scottish Enterprise chief executive Adrian Gillespie and Katherine Bennett, chief executive of the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult.
The facility was built by Morrison Construction and designed by Glasgow-based HLM Architects.
It features low-carbon solutions to mitigate its impact on the environment, including a rooftop solar array for electricity generation, access to a low-carbon district heating network, and rainwater harvesting system.
Yousaf said: “Scotland is one of the most innovative nations in the world - by bringing together research, industry and the public sector, this facility will allow companies of all sizes to embrace creative manufacturing techniques and support cutting-edge research.
“Manufacturing is critical to our long-term economic recovery and this centre, which the Scottish Government provided funding of £75m towards, will support that.
“Today we are publishing the first annual progress report on our National Strategy for Economic Transformation; the NMIS is a tangible example of the partnership working it promotes, showing our commitment to delivering for both business and people.”
Since 2019, NMIS has helped deliver more than 150 research and development projects for 142 different customers and partners. It has already up-skilled and re-skilled more than 1,300 people, placed more than 80 graduate trainees in Scottish manufacturing, and supported more than 100 internships.
Courtney said: “Scotland has a strong manufacturing sector – supporting world-renowned capabilities in the maritime industry, renewable energies, food and drink, the satellites and space industry and many others.
“NMIS can play a crucial role in harnessing this potential to impact what we make and how we make it more sustainably and efficiently.
“There is a real industrial demand for greener, innovative technology solutions that harness the power of digitalisation, along with the future skills that we all need to thrive - so we will work with our industry partners, talented team and the wider ecosystem to deliver this brighter manufacturing future.“
McDonald added: “NMIS will help to position Scotland and the UK as a globally competitive location for research, innovation and high-quality talent for advanced manufacturing across multiple sectors including aerospace, renewable energy, photonics and transport.”
NMIS is operated by the University of Strathclyde and supported by the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Island Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, Renfrewshire Council and the Scottish Funding Council.
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