The pioneering Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry is celebrating a triple success after attracting three major international companies to join its growing cadre of members.
Global packaging group Crown Packaging, leading retailer Sainsbury’s and European imaging leader Stemmer have all joined the MTC and will begin working on major projects with MTC engineers and technicians.
Crown Packing is a US-owned company and one of the biggest providers of industrial packaging in the world, with divisions in 41 countries. The MTC will be working with Crown’s product developers who are based in Oxfordshire. The company will be using the MTC’s expertise in modelling and simulation to improve production line efficiencies, and are also looking to develop new packaging joining techniques and new sealants.
Crown also plans to use the MTC’s laser processing technologies to develop more effective ways for consumers to pull off can lids.
Sainsbury’s will be working with the MTC to develop novel packaging designs and to develop the way they stock their shelves and design store displays and layouts. They will be using the MTC’s world-leading 3D immersive computer simulation technology.
Stemmer Imaging, a Munch-based company with a UK base at Tongham near London, is one of Europe’s leading providers of imaging and machine vision technologies. Together, Stemmer and MTC engineers will develop ground-breaking automation techniques.
MTC chief executive Dr Clive Hickman said that attracting three global names to the MTC at the same time was a major coup for the centre.
“We now have well over 70 industrial member companies across a wide range of sectors. We are now working with the world’s elite engineers and manufacturers and growing at a rate that couldn’t have been envisaged when we were established in 2011. In particular the latest members of the MTC will help us bring our capabilities to bear in the food and drink sector,” he said.
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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 Innovate UK (formerly 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.