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High Value Manufacturing Catapult announce new Smart Factory Innovation Hubs

Reducing risks of integrating new tech in manufacturing

The High Value Manufacturing Catapult and Made Smarter, the UK’s manufacturing digitalisation movement, have announced a new HVM Catapult-led Made Smarter Smart Factory Innovation Hub pilot.

The pilot offers participating companies the opportunity to reduce the risk of implementing new digital manufacturing solutions within their businesses.

The Innovation Hub will allow businesses to test quick-fire projects and early-stage technologies at one of its 16 testbeds, a safe, industry-like environment with expert support.

Find out more

Digital technologies have the power to radically transform how we manufacture and deliver the products and services of today and the future. This is more vital than ever given the current challenges of the pandemic and climate change and there are enormous opportunities to innovate across all manufacturing sectors. We have world-leading industries, a powerful scientific and research community, a vibrant technology sector, and these innovation hubs are being designed to bring that powerful coalition together.
Chris Courtney, Manufacturing Made Smarter Challenge Director

Businesses selected for the pilot will see how they can use industrial digital technologies to address live business challenges like productivity, cost and traceability, and remote working.

Using the HVM Catapult's world-class equipment and facilities, the pilot is open to all manufacturing sectors from food and drink, to pharmaceuticals or aerospace.

The Made Smarter Smart Factory Innovation Hub pilot will come at no-cost for participating companies. The funding was awarded by UK Research and Innovation through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

The HVM Catapult Made Smarter Smart Factory Innovation Hubs

For manufacturers
An environment to innovate, develop and de-risk rapidly configurable projects and industrial digital technologies before investing within their own businesses

An opportunity to experience new, integrated technology solutions on real-industry use cases and with expert HVM Catapult support
For technology providers
An opportunity to test, develop and showcase new technology solutions on real industry example and source feedback to improve their technology offering for the sector.

As businesses fight their way through this second lockdown, speeding up the uptake and development of new ground-breaking digital technologies has never been more important. These new Made Smarter Smart Factory Innovation Hubs will give smaller companies access to world-class expert support to turbo-charge new digital innovation and projects. This will deliver that much-needed boost to both individual businesses and the economy as a whole, as companies push forward to create the new “must-have” technologies of the future in order to compete in the global marketplace.
Juergen Maier, Co-Chair Made Smarter