Productiv, the advanced automotive engineering company which specialises in the industrialisation of leading edge low carbon technologies, has become the 60th member of the pioneering Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry.
Productiv, whose engineering operations are based at the MIRA Technology Park in Nuneaton, is celebrating after joining the Ansty Park-based MTC’s roll call of major global companies which includes Alstom, Rolls Royce, Airbus, HP, GKN and Siemens.
The company was welcomed to the MTC by the centre’s chief executive Dr Clive Hickman.
Productiv specialises in bridging the gap between small enterprises developing advanced low-carbon technologies and large vehicle manufacturers. The company industrialises the technology and provides technical, production and commercial development.
The MTC is already involved in a major collaborative project led by Productiv. The £22 million Proving Factory project, which also involves Tata Steel, MIRA and other members of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult will bring a range of state-of-the-art green automotive technologies into production in the UK.
Richard Bruges, co-founder and chief executive of Productiv said, “We have enjoyed working with the MTC on The Proving Factory project, developing new system assembly techniques and processes suited to the particular needs of the advanced propulsion systems we are industrialising. Membership of the MTC is a logical step for a company such as ours, developing the best low-volume production processes. We look forward to implementing the pre-production assembly trials with the MTC during early 2014.”
Clive Hickman said he was delighted that a company with the technical prowess and an innovative approach to low carbon development had become the 60th member of the MTC.
“We look forward to a very fruitful relationship with Productiv, with whom we are already working closely through The Proving Factory initiative. The MTC demonstrates a ‘can do’ attitude and the fact that we are a young and flexible organisation is proving to be of enormous benefit to our members, as are the impressive capabilities of our engineers, technicians and support staff,” he said.
Productiv was formed in 2011 with support from the Carbon Trust. The company has developed innovative approaches to creating viable routes to market for low carbon technology and developing those technologies for use by large automotive manufacturers. Productiv is a member of the SMMT, theUK Automotive Council and the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership.
The Proving Factory initiative allows novel low-carbon technologies to be developed, manufactured and assembled in low volumes – up to 20,000 units a year – reducing the risk of new product introduction for vehicle manufacturers seeking leading-edge, carbon-reducing technologies. Funding for the £22 million Proving Factory project has been provided through industrial investment supported by grants and loans through the UK Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain initiative, administered through Finance Birmingham.
The MTC opened in 2011 and was founded by the University of Birmingham, Loughborough University, the University of Nottingham and TWI Ltd. The MTC’s industrial members include some of the UK’s major global manufacturers.
The MTC 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. The MTC is part the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, supported by the Technology Strategy Board.
The growth of the Manufacturing Technology Centre has far exceeded expectations, achieving many of its targets five years ahead of schedule.
