The National Physical Laboratory’s (NPL) CEO, Dr Peter Thompson, Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin and the leader of Rochdale Council, Neil Emmott, led an event at Hopwood Hall College and University Centre in Rochdale to discuss the region’s ambitions.

At the event, hosted by the Advanced Machinery and Productivity Institute, the Mayors shared their shared vision for a thriving advanced manufacturing industry spanning the M62 corridor and explored the role of advanced machinery in driving this success.

The North of England has an active and high concentration of industrial expertise in the design, development and manufacture of complex machinery. This machinery is used in a wide range of industries to manufacture products such as pharmaceuticals, food and drink, and automotive components.

The ambitions of the Advanced Machinery and Productivity Institute (AMPI), with its national remit, is to build on the strengths of the region. NPL is currently leading AMPI’s first innovation programme, the 5-year UKRI funded Strength in Places Fund initiative, which is proactively supporting advanced machinery innovators across West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. AMPI will grow the UK’s advanced manufacturing machinery market to £2bn over 10 years, support machinery developers in their R&D and upskill staff. The support provided to local SMEs, through the Institute’s Innovation for Machinery (I4M) programme, enables innovation and increases the adoption of new machinery and robotics through UK equipment manufacturers.

NPL has a long history of utilising its expertise in metrology to find solutions to some of the challenges facing society today. At the event Dr Peter Thompson announced further NPL funding to enable UK industry to innovate, under a new programme, Measurement for Business…Read more