24 January 2017
The National Composites Centre injects composites energy into Industrial Strategy
The National Composites Centre (NCC) was pleased to host the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Industry and Energy Jesse Norman MP, from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
The National Composites Centre (NCC) was pleased to host the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Industry and Energy Jesse Norman MP, from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
The Minister and his team were shown how the NCC who are enabling UK growth through the application of composites in manufacturing. The visitors were given an overview of global composites opportunities, and predicted market growth, between now and 2030. The visit had a particular focus on the aerospace sector and its critical role to the manufacturing economy of the UK, including discussions on future prospects with NCC Member companies, Rolls-Royce and Airbus.
Alison Starr, NCC Executive Director Strategy & Business said, “It’s great that the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy recognises that the UK is a powerhouse for advanced engineering and that some of the most progressive composites technology and manufacturing development is happening at the NCC. We value the opportunity to showcase how we support our industry partners.”
She continued, “We need to develop processes for high rate manufacturing to meet the emerging needs of Automotive, as well as those of Aerospace with their highly certified operational environment. Undertaking the process and product technology development here in the NCC helps to anchor and secure manufacturing in the UK. So working with all sectors to establish future supply chains to support UK growth, is also critical. We are also working with industry to produce the workforce of the future, through training and knowledge transfer.”
The Minister also met with the University of Bristol (UoB) to understand their key position as the world-leader in academic composites manufacturing research. The discussions focussed on how, together with the NCC, the UoB support the progression of technology from concept to commercialisation.
Hamish McAlpine, University of Bristol Partnerships Manager said, “The NCC is a key part of how we can get our research out of the lab and into the factory, by scaling it up so it can be adopted by our industrial partners. The work we demonstrated to the Minister during this visit really highlighted the benefits of strong academic-Catapult partnerships. We produce world-leading, industrially relevant research, and the NCC helps us to maximise its uptake by industry, for the benefit of everyone – be that through lighter, more efficient cars, safer structures, or the use of more sustainable materials.”
The tour concluded with discussions involving the benefits and opportunities of collaboration with the High Value Manufacturing Catapult.