Yorkshire’s manufacturers improve links with Germany
Dienstag, 16 März 2010
Yorkshire’s advanced manufacturers demonstrated their world-class reputation for innovation and excellence during a visit by an organisation which supports UK and German companies that want to trade and invest overseas.
The Government’s UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) helps UK companies win export business globally, and overseas businesses seeking to invest in the UK, marketing this country’s strengths as a world-class source of products and services, partnership and as a business location.
The Director-General of UKTI in Germany, Malcolm Scott, visited Rotherham’s Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) – the only one of its kind in the UK – which is attracting millions in investment to South Yorkshire.
According to UKTI, Britain is Europe’s number one destination for inward investment and Yorkshire comes high on the list of preferred locations. Rotherham is one of only 16 places in the world – and the first in England – to be recognised as a world leader in welcoming inward investment. It holds the Soft Landing Zone accolade, awarded by the USA’s National Business Incubation Association, for its support for businesses to arrive, survive and succeed in the town.
During his visit, Mr Scott saw for himself why the AMP has a global reputation for engineering, innovation, research and manufacturing excellence, and why it is attracting interest from around the world.
It is a joint venture between public and private sector organisations including regional development agency Yorkshire Forward and land-owner UK Coal. Last year, the Government announced that Rolls-Royce had chosen the AMP as the location for its new £25m Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC).
When it opens, the NAMRC will sit alongside other world-leading materials and structures R&D organisations at the AMP including the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing, the TWI Technology Centre (Yorkshire) and Castings Technology International (Cti).
Technology developed at the AMP is already being used in leading-edge projects, such as within Formula 1 and the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
“The AMP is an important driver for the regeneration of the engineering sector, in South Yorkshire, the wider Yorkshire region, and throughout the UK,” said Yorkshire Forward assistant director of business Jim Farmery.
“Visits by international business intermediaries such as Mr Scott, who is leading a team promoting UK investment opportunities for German companies, help to raise the profile of the world-class manufacturing support available at the AMP, and promote the site to potential investors.”
Mr Scott visited the AMP Technology Centre, home to 17 high-tech companies including Fripp Design and Research, a product design, research and business consultancy; HBM UK, a global market leader in test and measurement, and weighing technologies; cleantech company ITI Energy; the UK branch of Belgium’s Materialise Group, best known for its activities in the field of rapid industrial and medical prototyping; and Bromley Technologies, an elite winter sports equipment manufacturer behind some of the best bob skeleton athletes in the world, Shelley Rudman, Kristan Bromley and Nicola Minichiello.
He also toured the University of Sheffield AMRC with Boeing, a £100m partnership that builds on the shared scientific excellence, expertise and technological innovation of the world's leading aerospace company and the world-class research within the university’s faculty of engineering.
Photo: (L-R) Yorkshire Forward’s AMP Ambassador Chris Scholey welcomes the Director-General of UKTI in Germany, Malcolm Scott, to Rotherham’s Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP).