Friday 17 November 2017

UK confirms £18.4m to optimise manufacturing

The UK has confirmed how £18.4 million of funding will be spent on making manufacturing processes more efficient and sustainable.

The money, provided through Innovate UK, will help 130 organisations representing 63 projects improve their processes and save energy.

These projects are primarily led by small and medium-sized enterprises and include a prototype coating system to increase the manufacturing efficiency and sustainability of the food metal packaging industry.

A project led by Pireta will optimise the stages of production in making durable, highly-conductive textiles for use in wearable antennas in products including smartwatches and glasses.

Another will use sugars recovered from waste heading to landfill to manufacture high-grade lactic acid, which can then be used in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries to produce bioplastics.

Science Minister, Jo Johnson, said: "These successful projects showcase how companies of all sizes can utilise the UK’s research and innovation expertise to improve their operations and competitiveness, boosting the UK economy and our global standing as a centre of excellence."