Monday, October 26, 2015

News: US mayor visits AMP

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The mayor of a US city that is developing its strengths in the advanced manufacturing sector has paid a visit to the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham.

The AMP in Rotherham is the UK's premier advanced manufacturing technology park and enjoys a global reputation for providing world-class manufacturing technology solutions for industry. It is home to the University of Sheffield, Boeing and Rolls-Royce and smaller, emerging companies developing the next generations of cutting-edge technology.

Mayor Greg Fischer, the Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, visited the transformed colliery site and was given a full tour of the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing, Nuclear AMRC and AMRC Castings.

A partner in the HVM Catapult (the Government's strategic initiative that aims to revitalise the manufacturing industry), the AMRC focuses on advanced machining and materials research for aerospace and other high-value manufacturing sectors. It is a partnership between industry and academia, which has become a model for research centres worldwide.

The AMRC employs over 250 people and helped the University of Sheffield to overtake the University of Cambridge for engineering research income. The model has already been replicated in Denmark, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and India.

Mayor Fischer's visit follows on from that of Bruce Katz, one of the world's leading figures in city development. He visited Sheffield and Rotherham in January this year to advise on the ambitious project to develop the first Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District in the UK; Europe's largest research-led advanced manufacturing cluster.

Incorporating the AMRC, the AMP, Sheffield Business Park and local businesses, the district is set to reinforce the region's role as the UK's leading location for advanced manufacturing.

As Bruce Katz continues to work with the economic development arm of Sheffield City Council, Rotherham Borough Council and The University of Sheffield in the planning and development of the first UK Innovation Districts, he has become an ambassador for the region, championing the unique facilities, talent and business base that exist in Rotherham and Sheffield.

Cllr Lelliott, Advisory Cabinet Member for Housing and the Local Economy at Rotherham Council (pictured, second left), said: "I am proud to welcome Mayor Fischer to Rotherham and show him the innovative work that we are doing in this area.

"His goals are closely aligned to what we are working to deliver in Rotherham and I believe we have much to learn from each other."

Cllr Leigh Bramall, deputy leader and cabinet member for Business Skills and Development at Sheffield Council (pictured, centre), added: "We are delighted to welcome another prestigious international guest to the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. Mayor Fischer is both a successful businessman and award winning public official; who shares Sheffield's commitment to creating a culture of innovation and is keen to see first-hand the success exemplified by our model of university-business collaboration at the AMRC."

Louisville, the largest city in Kentucky, has always enjoyed a rich manufacturing tradition of excellence. From the first baseball bat made by Bud Hillerich in 1884, to one of the first Ford Model-T plants build outside of Michigan in 1913, to the arrival of General Electric's (GE's) appliance manufacturing park in 1952.

Historical anchors like GE and Ford have combined to invest well over $1 billion over the past five years and the city operates industry accelerator programs and harnesses the research being done at the University of Louisville in fields like additive manufacturing and micro-nano technology.

AMP website

Images: RMBC

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