Britain’s first dedicated state-of-the-art research and production factory is to be constructed at Sheffield Business Park after winning city council approval.
Factory 2050 is being built by the University of Sheffield (pictured) near its original Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre on a part the Catcliffe site already dedicated to advanced manufacturing facilities. The £43m factory will be the UK’s first fully reconfigurable assembly and component manufacturing plant for collaborative research and will be capable of rapidly switching production between different high-value components and one-off parts.
The futuristic circular building will also combine a host of technologies, ranging from advanced robotics and flexible automation to unmanned workspace and 3D printing.
Finance for the project is largely being provided by the university, although it has attracted a £10m grant from the Research Partnership Investment Fund managed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
One of Factory 2050’s most enthusiastic supporters is Sheffield South West MP, Clive Betts, in whose constituency the business park falls. “Over the last decade we’ve seen the enormous impact of the University’s active involvement in advanced manufacturing, creating high quality jobs and hundreds of new opportunities for apprenticeships, as well as attracting some of the world’s best known aerospace and engineering companies to work and invest here,” he said.
“This planning approval represents a real step forward in moving this vital activity to the next level, and giving Sheffield’s city region the opportunity to further its reputation as a leading force in advanced manufacturing, not just at UK level, but on the global stage.”
The application now requires final approval from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and all of Sheffield’s MPs have collectively written to the minister to urge him to fast track his decision so that construction can begin as soon as possible.
The university has already signed a deal to secure a second 50-acre plot at the business park on which it hopes to attracted a “critical mass” of high-tech, advanced manufacturing businesses. Its detailed master plan for the scheme will be submitted to Sheffield City Council’s planning department in the next few months.
Graham Sadler is managing director at Sheffield Business Park, which already has outline permission for a second 50-acres in addition to the research and production factory. Plans are also well underway for the speculative development of four high quality production units, due for completion by the middle of next year.
“We are working hard to make sure that we create the right environment to attract inward investment from high quality businesses that will bring real jobs to the region,” he said. “The construction of Factory 2050 will send out a clear message of our ambition to maximise the benefit to the Sheffield region of this vital location.”
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