The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), operated by the University of Strathclyde, opened its flagship facility in the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) in Renfrewshire today (21 June).
Designed to act as a magnet for advanced manufacturing in Scotland and around the world, the 11,500m2 campus next to Glasgow Airport will support manufacturing, engineering, and associated technology businesses of all sizes. R&D work will be aimed at helping them become more productive, tap into emerging markets, embrace new technologies, and achieve net zero targets.
Scotland’s manufacturing sector employs over 179,000 people and is responsible for more than 50% of the country’s international exports and 47% of business expenditure on R&D.
The operationally carbon neutral facility will be home to the NMIS Manufacturing Skills Academy, Digital Factory, and a publicly accessible ‘collaboration hub’. The Lightweight Manufacturing Centre (LMC) – which is also part of the NMIS group – will relocate from its current base in Renfrewshire, splitting operations between the new building and NMIS’s founding centre, the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC).
Featuring a variety of ‘technology zones’ dedicated to growth areas, the NMIS Digital Factory will include a food and drink cyber-physical demonstrator, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) connected shop floor, a factory command centre, and a hub dedicated to helping manufacturers embrace the circular economy and extend the life of their products and systems.
The building was opened by Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf at a ceremony this morning, alongside NMIS CEO Chris Courtney, Professor Sir Jim McDonald, chair of the NMIS board and principal of the University of Strathclyde, Katherine Bennett, CEO of the UK’s High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult, and Adrian Gillespie, CEO of Scottish Enterprise, along with senior delegates from across industry, academia, and the public sector.
Yousaf said: “The opening of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland is an exciting moment – it will ensure that Scotland’s long history of innovation and engineering continues, and also supports our drive to net zero.
“Scotland is one of the most innovative nations in the world. By bringing together research, industry and the public sector, this facility will allow companies of all sizes to embrace creative manufacturing techniques and support cutting-edge research. Manufacturing is critical to our long-term economic recovery, and this centre, which the Scottish government provided funding of £75m towards, will support that.”
Since 2019, NMIS has helped deliver more than 150 R&D projects for 142 different customers and partners. It has ‘upskilled and reskilled’ more than 1,300 people, placed more than 80 graduate trainees in Scottish manufacturing, and supported more than 100 internships.
Courtney said: “It's been a truly collaborative effort – from creating a shared vision of NMIS to delivering our world-class new building. We now move into a phase of delivering on those ambitions through intense collaboration with industry and providing innovative solutions to their most challenging problems.
“Scotland has a strong manufacturing sector – supporting world-renowned capabilities in the maritime industry, renewable energies, food and drink, the satellites and space industry and many others. We also benefit from world-leading universities and a growing number of ambitious technology entrepreneurs.
“NMIS can play a crucial role in harnessing this potential to impact what we make and how we make it more sustainably and efficiently. There is a real industrial demand for greener, innovative technology solutions that harness the power of digitalisation, along with the future skills that we all need to thrive. We will work with our industry partners, talented team and the wider ecosystem to deliver this brighter manufacturing future.”
NMIS is operated by the University of Strathclyde and supported by the Scottish government, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Island Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, Renfrewshire Council, and the Scottish Funding Council. It is also part of the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult.
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