AMRC Cymru research facility opens in North Wales

 

On Nov. 28, the Welsh government and University of Sheffield AMRC announced the opening of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre Cymru (AMRC Cymru) in North Wales. The 2,000-square-meter, £20 million ($1.3 million USD) center will house Airbus (Toulouse, France) as its first major tenant, providing research space for next-generation wing technology development for the Wing of Tomorrow program.

The center is also intended to be a catalyst for growth and job development in the Deeside, North Wales region, providing area businesses with increased access to advanced technologies, helping them to drive improvements in productivity, performance and quality. Situated in the Deeside Enterprise Zone, it will focus on advanced manufacturing sectors, including aerospace, automotive, nuclear and food.

AMRC Cymru is backed by £20 million from the Welsh government, and managed by the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. It is predicted the new center could increase gross value added (GVA) to the Welsh economy by as much as £4 billion over the next 20 years.

“Projects such as this help to drive innovation and excellence, enhancing Wales’ reputation a as place to invest and do business. It will play a key role in bringing academia and businesses closer together, boosting skills,” says Economy and North Wales Minister Ken Skates. 

“We’re delighted to be the first major business tenant of AMRC Cymru. The facility is world-class and the perfect home for our most significant research and technology program Wing of Tomorrow,” says ​​​​​​​Paul McKinlay, Airbus senior vice president, head of the company’s Broughton plant. “The program will inform the next generation of wings so when we launch a new aircraft program, we’ll have the technologies and systems ready to design and build the wings at the rate we need them.”

“The fact the Welsh Government chose this area to invest in such innovation underlines the value of the business in the region and we look forward to seeing the development of cutting-edge technologies in a range of industries as a result of this,” McKinlay adds.

AMRC Cymru was designed and project managed by Arup and the construction was carried out by Galliford Try.