Five companies partner with AMIC on £7.9m productivity drive

Pictured (L-R) are Sam Turner, CEO, Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC); Jonathan Hanna, Director of Global Fabrication and General Manager, Terex; Alan Donnelly, Director, Four Dee Ltd; Economy Minister, Caoimhe Archibald; Alison Currie, Chief Development Officer, Invest NI; Shane Nugent, Nugent Trailers, Plant Manager and Professor Ian Greer, President and Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast. 

Economy Minister, Dr Caoimhe Archibald, has announced a £7.9 million collaborative research and development project between the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) and five local engineering and manufacturing businesses.

The collaborative project, called Project 4WARD, will help the five local companies improve productivity in welding processes by adopting digital and automation technologies.

Making the announcement during a visit to the AMIC Global Point Avenue facility in Newtownabbey, Minister Archibald said: “The shared knowledge of the research and innovation team at AMIC and the practical experience of these companies will help identify innovative and practical ways to improve productivity by adopting new technologies in welding processes.

“This commitment to innovation and productivity improvements by these five companies will ensure they remain competitive and at the forefront of developments in their field.”

The businesses involved in the project are:

•    Hyster Yale, Craigavon 
•    Terex, Ballymoney, Dungannon, Omagh and Cookstown
•    Nugent Trailers, Dungannon
•    Four Dee, Magherafelt 
•    Datum Design, Lisburn

Project 4WARD will also help the companies establish new product lines, reduce waste, increase manufacturing capacity via new technologies, and increase knowledge in manufacturing digitalisation.

Invest NI has offered AMIC and the five companies involved £4.8m of support to deliver the project. 

Welcoming the announcement, Alison Currie, Chief Development Officer at Invest NI said: “By bringing together AMIC and five local engineering and manufacturing businesses, this project will help accelerate the adoption of digital and automation technologies that strengthen competitiveness and support long-term growth.

“Our support will help the companies to modernise welding processes, reduce waste and build new product lines, while creating high-quality engineering roles and developing skills that are critical to the future of manufacturing. It also demonstrates how targeted R&D support can help local businesses to innovate, scale and explore global markets.”

The project will create 21 new jobs at AMIC, Hyster Yale, Nugent, Four Dee and Terex.

Sam Turner, CEO of AMIC said: “Project 4WARD provides an opportunity to work with some great NI manufacturers to advance, demonstrate and deploy state of the art industrial digitialsiation and automation welding processes.

“The project will help businesses design their products and processes for automated welding, improve quality and productivity and address the gap in availability of experienced skilled welders.  Robotic welding in itself is not new, but the fusion of emergent technologies that we will develop together on the project will enable manufacturers to get optimum productivity, usage and yield from automated welding.

“Using open access equipment and facilities in AMIC, we are able to address common challenges and opportunities for the partner companies, enabling them to collaborate on R&D, stimulate innovation and enhance capability in their organisations, and ultimately deploy the appropriate solutions to help scale their businesses.”

Alan Donnelly, Director at Four Dee said: “Project 4WARD is a major opportunity for Four Dee to modernise how robotic welding is programmed and delivered. By developing off line, virtual programming methods, we hope to reduce downtime on the shop floor while improving efficiency and consistency across our products.

“Working closely with AMIC and the other participating companies, we will apply and exchange these insights to tackle common manufacturing challenges and improve best practice across the group. This collaboration will help us build a more adaptable, competitive welding operation and strengthen our ability to deliver large scale, custom machinery for customers at home and abroad.”

Queen’s President and Vice Chancellor Professor Sir Ian Greer said:  “AMIC is at the very heart of the innovation support system for Northern Ireland manufacturing. Led by Queen’s University in partnership with industry, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and Ulster University, our mission is to help businesses drive growth and boost their productivity and global competitiveness.

“We are delighted to support the five local industry clients as they work with our research and innovation teams gaining access to cutting-edge technology, expertise and skills development.”

Invest NI’s R&D support for this project is part funded by the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF).