Members of the Made in Group have been highlighted in a newly published analysis of the strength, health and vibrancy of manufacturing across all regions of the UK.
The UK Manufacturing Outlook is a 240-page publication summarising the state of industry across 15 key sectors, all regions of the UK, dozens of technologies and research areas, and hundreds of investment-focused new stories.
Formerly titled the UK Manufacturing Review, the book has been published annually since 2015 until taking a temporary hiatus in 2020. The publication is now back with a bang with an updated title, focus and art-style.
It also includes a new Mid-Sized Champions section which profiles 16 examples of British manufacturers who are innovating, exporting, growing or otherwise blazing a trail for others to follow.
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The Yorkshire & Humber article reveals a ‘Surge of optimism as firms show how to beat ‘green’ deadlines’, with sustainable products and processes dominating activity as manufacturers respond to increasingly urgent global imperatives.
As the author explains, “If the last three years have been about the ‘why’ and the ‘when’ the next several will be innovators showing how.”
The switch to electrification receives extensive coverage, especially in relation to the automotive sector with references to the Ultimate Battery Company, Faradion, Magtec and Twisted.
But why drive when you can fly? Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) is inventing a new aerospace sector with its ‘land anywhere’ Airlander – just don’t call it an airship! The Airlander might look like a blimp but it is also part plane, relying on engines and aerodynamics for (some) lift.
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Airlanders can stay up for five days, put down on sand, ice or water and take off in 600 yards, the company says. They’re slower than a plane but faster than a ship long distance. And they’re almost as fast for short flights because they don’t need airports and all the attendant security, notes boss, Tom Grundy.
The Bedford-based company has announced plans earlier this year to launch a factory in South Yorkshire and create 500 jobs. It already has three orders for aircraft set to be in service in 2026.
The article also illustrates the strength of the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in attracting investment into the region. HAV and the AMRC have signed a agreement that will see them working together to develop Airlander-related research, innovation, and training.
CEO of the Ultimate Battery Company, Maurizio Cunningham-Brown, also cites the AMRC as a key reason why he chose to set up shop in Yorkshire, particularly in relation to how it’s helping to create a strong pipeline of skilled future talent.
The AMRC features in another article explaining the work currently underway to ‘Help manufacturers become fit for hydrogen.’
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Zero Carbon Humber (ZCH) is a first of its kind initiative that draws on the region’s existing skills and infrastructure to develop low carbon hydrogen, carbon capture and carbon removal technology.
This will be enabled by a shared pipeline network to carry hydrogen to industrial customers and remove CO₂ from power generation and industrial emitters, transporting it to permanent storage in an offshore aquifer in the UK’s Southern North Sea.
Delivering this is expected to protect 55,000 existing jobs in the Humber and create 49,000 new ones, while supporting skills, apprenticeships and educational opportunities across the region.
The immensity of the ZCH project provides an equally large opportunity to build a UK-wide supply chain. The AMRC is working with its sister centre the Nuclear AMRC to support exactly that.
Copies of the UK Manufacturing Outlook 2022 can be ordered here.