25 March 2011

University’s AMRC victorious at the Made in Sheffield awards

The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing scooped a top prize at the Made in Sheffield awards for its pivotal role in the city’s manufacturing revival.

The Made in Sheffield awards acknowledge the achievements of businesses and individuals that have excelled in embodying South Yorkshire’s tradition for craftsmanship. They recognise those who have reinforced the region’s international reputation in the manufacturing sector.

The Manufacturer Support Award was issued to the AMRC during a gala dinner at Cutlers' Hall in Sheffield. The event drew together more than 300 business leaders to celebrate the strength and dynamism of the Sheffield brand.

Launched in 2001, the AMRC with Boeing is a world-class centre for advanced machining and materials research for aerospace and other high-value manufacturing sectors. It has become a model for collaborative research centres worldwide.

The AMRC's core research teams cover machining process technology, assembly, composites, and structural testing with research and development topics determined by a board of industrial members. Based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park, Rotherham, the AMRC, which is supported by the European Regional Development Fund and Yorkshire Forward, now employs around 160 researchers, engineers and support staff.

This is the second celebration for the AMRC this month. Last week, Business Secretary Vince Cable MP and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP announced that the AMRC with Boeing, and its new sister facility the Nuclear AMRC, are part of a consortium of seven research centres appointed to run the first Technology Innovation Centre (TIC) for High Value Manufacturing.