Flintshire businesses have been boosting productivity, sustainability, and employment opportunities thanks to a programme delivered by one of Wales’ top research and development facilities.
Based in Broughton, The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) Cymru, part of the University of Sheffield, has empowered 32 companies through a mix of reports, training events, and 1-2-1 assistance.
The support was offered via the organisation’s Accelerating Decarbonisation and Productivity Technology and Skills (ADAPTS) scheme and aims to accelerate growth and create more job roles amongst Flintshire manufacturers.
Funded by £811K from Flintshire’s allocation of the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), the programme’s participants were provided with tailored guidance on improving digital processes and reducing carbon emissions as well as invited to AMRC-led events to bolster their knowledge through training and development.
From the 32 beneficiaries, 16 firms gained additional assistance from AMRC Cymru engineers to adopt advanced technologies, upskill their employees, and address an area that required improvement highlighted in the initial report.
One such company was contract development and manufacturing organisation Biofortuna, which has developed an automated solution for a key process in order to scale-up manufacturing for new markets while maintaining high accuracy.
Biofortuna development and manufacturing manager Chris McCarthy said: “If we hadn’t have partnered with AMRC Cymru, I feel we would have had to invest a lot of time and resource into researching the potential options, but ultimately, I think we would have been limited to ready-made off-the-shelf solutions.
“ADAPTS provided us with the opportunity to look at it from a different angle and they came up with tailor-made, bespoke solutions to our niche problem.”
AMRC Cymru project manager Natalie Jones said: “Seeing the difference the UKSPF-funded ADAPTS programme has had in enhancing Biofortuna’s accuracy and productivity is fantastic, and I look forward to seeing how the new technology will facilitate the firm’s growth.”
Addressing the scheme as a whole, she added: “We achieved brilliant results across a number of key performance indicators including adoption of new products or services, improved digital connectivity, increased efficiency, and decrease in carbon emissions.
“Owing to the timescale of the programme and the nature of the work carried out, the overall impact of our activity will continue to be seen through job creation and retention in the coming months and years, and we’re excited to hear about these stories.”
Councillor Chris Dolphin, Flintshire County Council cabinet member for economy, environment, and climate, said: “With UK manufacturers investing around £38.8bn into the economy annually, seeing the ADAPTS scheme prepare Flintshire businesses for growth is wonderful.
“I truly believe this investment into Flintshire’s firms will help increase their resilience and, in the long-term, draw and retain talent into the county.”
