University of Sheffield - Helping Yorkshire lead the way in high-value manufacturing

The University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) is a centre of excellence for research, innovation and training, working with advanced manufacturing companies of any size from around the globe. It is part of the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult cluster, funded by Innovate UK.

The AMRC is based at the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Yorkshire, on the site of the former Orgreave coke works, and employs more than 500 highly qualified researchers and engineers from around the world, focusing on advanced manufacturing, machining and materials research for aerospace, automotive and other high-value manufacturing sectors.

Established in 2001, the AMRC has a global reputation for helping companies overcome manufacturing problems and now works with more than 125 industrial partners who include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, McLaren Automotive, BAE Systems and Airbus, as well as small and medium sized businesses that make up the supply chains.

The AMRC collaborates with R&D experts to develop and de-risk business investment, enabling firms to make step changes in productivity, sharpening competitive edge, developing new products and processes and training new talent and skills. World leading areas of knowledge and expertise include digital manufacturing, machining, design and prototyping, additive manufacture, composites, welding, structural testing, robotics, high-tech assembly and automation.

It was established as a £15 million collaboration between the University of Sheffield and Boeing, with support from Yorkshire Forward and the European Regional Development Fund, and has become a model for collaborative research involving universities, academics and industry.

The AMRC has six flagship centres including Factory of the Future and Factory 2050, as well as regional hubs in Wales with AMRC Cymru and AMRC North West in Lancashire. Through the AMRC Training Centre, over 800 apprentices, all of whom are employed in the manufacturing sector, are receiving high quality training. The AMRC's sister centre, the Nuclear AMRC, which is also based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park, helps UK companies win work in the civil nuclear sector in new build, operations and decommissioning.

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