ENGINEERING THE NORTH
The North of England has been the industrial base of the UK and an innovator in manufacturing since the first industrial revolution. From developing the first steam engines to evolving into a fully automated industry, the North of England is relentless in building the future.
The North of England, its past and future, is the focus of Executive TV’s first programme in the “Manufacturing The Future" series.
Engineering The North, which welcomes three exciting businesses embracing the latest technologies in manufacturing.
ADM Automation is one of the UK's leading systems integrators, developing automated manufacturing solutions across a diverse range of industries. The company’s record for building automated systems speaks for itself with many different technologies that are integrated into a variety of manufacturing systems no matter how complex they are.
HART Door Systems manufacture, install and maintain industrial and specialist door systems throughout the UK and Internationally. They specialise in meeting the needs of the sectors across manufacturing, process, transport, storage and logistics by providing doors that perfectly suit the corresponding environment and operations. They make specific doors for applications including high speed, energy-efficient, fire protection, security and high security, as well as hybrids and made to order specialist doors.
AMRC is a world-class centre that specialises in implementing world-leading research into advanced machining, manufacturing and materials for aerospace and other high-value manufacturing sectors. The network is a University of Sheffield enterprise and is a partnership between industry and academia, which has become a model for research centres worldwide.
This programme also includes interviews with Policy Connect, the All Party Manufacturing Group and Chi Onwurah, Labour MPfor Newcastle Upon Tyne & Shadow Minister for Science, Research and Digital.
VOICE OVER SCRIPT
The North of England boasts a rich and saturated history. Since the industrial revolution, this heartland of industry has made its mark in mining, rail, shipbuilding and electricity to name just a fraction of its remarkable accomplishments. Times may have changed but today, the North of England remains a significant and unrivalled builder of Britain.
Over the next half hour, you will hear from key industry experts, located in the North, from New Castle upon Tyne to South Yorkshire, and at the forefront of innovation.
Stay with us to discover exactly what they’re doing to keep the North of England firmly on the map.
Manufacturing the Future: Engineering the North
Despite the North’s reputation, the Great Britain presented to the world is often seen through a London-centric-lens. In recent years, the North/South divide could be keenly felt by Brexit. Suddenly a question of supply chains, imports and exports were present in people’s minds.
To many, the days of British manufacturing were long gone and despite the truth proving contrary to this message, among all the noise, it could have been easy to forget the North of England as a continued powerhouse of industry.
Of course, it wasn’t only Brexit that threatened supply-lines in and out of the UK but the arrival of Covid-19 and its resulting lockdowns. We asked our experts how they responded and what impact they believed it could have on the industry going forward.
Politics and pathogens aren’t the only hurdles facing the industry but an ever-increasing skills gap resulting from a shortfall of viable candidates entering the workplace.
As a result, a flurry of exciting new apprenticeships have sprung up to entice a whole new generation into the industry.
In South Yorkshire, The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre is on the hunt for upcoming talent.
Apprenticeships are a fantastic step-forward to fixing the skills gap. The learning curve might be steep but the rewards far greater.
Coming up, we take a closer look at the impact technology, such as automation, is making on the industry.
In the factory of today, innovation comes in many forms. A greater push for digital transformation has brought a new range of skills and solutions to the table.
Companies are also utilising data at an unprecedented rate, analysing every aspect of their processes to better understand what can be done to improve efficiencies, not only in the boardroom but on the factory floor as well.
Automation looks set to make a vital difference in the industry, not only improving efficiencies but saving time and money as well.
Not only can technology aid manufacturers in keeping up with demand but also processes such as automation may in fact be a remarkable step forward to a greener future.
The green agenda is a key industry focus and it is hoped that the factory of the future will benefit not only its workers but also the world by achieving net carbon neutrality.
It’s clear that the North of England is making good on its heritage by bringing innovative technology and perhaps more importantly, new ideas to the industry as it expands to ever greater heights.
They are in every sense, manufacturing the future.