Construction Digital Magazine October 2021 | Page 71

DIGITAL MANUFACTURING
Each centre will focus on a different area of manufacturing and include :
• Digital Medicines Manufacturing Research Centre , based in Strathclyde , Cambridge and Loughborough Universities , aims to create digital supply chains that enable medicines to be supplied on demand and enable clinical trials to operate more flexibly
• Research Centre for Smart , Collaborative Industrial Robotics , based in Loughborough , Strathclyde , Cranfield , Bristol and Warwick Universities , will look to eliminate barriers to adopting robotics and accelerate their widespread use in manufacturing
• Research Centre for Connected Factories , based in Nottingham , Cambridge and Sheffield Universities , will work to create a ‘ Morphing Factory ’ where production can be easily repurposed in response to changing market demand , for example , during the pandemic when drinks manufacturers have transformed their production lines to make hand sanitiser
• Materials Made Smarter Research Centre , based in Sheffield , Cambridge and Loughborough Universities , will work on overcoming technological challenges preventing adoption of new materials and manufacturing processes needed to become more sustainable and help achieve net-zero emissions
• People-Led Digitalisation , based in Bath , Nottingham and Loughborough Universities , aims to achieve the highest level of manufacturing productivity by increasing the digital knowledge and awareness of manufacturers . constructionglobal . com 71