Alan Lyons

The University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC), part of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, has opened an office in Sheffield, providing local forging and forming houses with easy access to support from the research centre located near Glasgow Airport in the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland in Renfrewshire. Supported by Sheffield City Council and operating out of an office on the Olympic Legacy Park, the AFRC’s new base is complementing the existing High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult centres in the region - the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and the Nuclear AMRC. Effectively bringing the research lab directly to the manufacturers, the new office will help South Yorkshire companies tap into the leading metallurgy capabilities, numerical and analytical process modelling tools and some of the most advanced industry-scale forging and forming equipment in the world, over 260 miles away in Scotland. For over a decade the AFRC has been pushing the limits of advanced manufacturing and engineering. It helps companies of all sizes, from micro family run businesses to global manufacturing giants to boost productivity and better compete. The decision to open its first office outside of Scotland marks a crucial stage in the centre’s evolution as it continues to build strong relationships with the UK forging community ahead of the launch of FutureForge, a £20m facility that includes the world’s most advanced hot forging platform.