Local leaders share vision of thriving advanced manufacturing industry spanning M62

The Mayors shared their vision for a thriving advanced manufacturing industry spanning the M62 corridor

Council leader Neil Emmott and the Mayor of Greater Manchester have shared their visions of a ‘thriving advanced manufacturing industry spanning the M62 corridor’.

The leaders met with Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, and Dr Peter Thompson, CEO of the National Physics Laboratory’s, at an event hosted at Hopwood Hall College by the Advanced Machinery and Productivity Institute.

In addition to the key speakers a panel discussion took place which included Julia Heap, CEO and Principal at Hopwood Hall College and University Centre; Paul Simkiss, MD Simkiss Controls; Mandy Ridyard, Produmax and Gareth Edwards, AMPI, where they talked about their ambitions for the region.

The North of England has an active and high concentration of industrial expertise in the design, development and manufacture of complex machinery. This machinery is used in a wide range of industries to manufacture products such as pharmaceuticals, food and drink, and automotive components.

AMPI – which has been granted funding for a manufacturing institute in Rochdale – aims to build on the region’s strengths and grow the UK’s advanced manufacturing machinery market to £2bn over 10 years. The National Physics Laboratory is leading AMPI’s first innovation project, supporting advanced machinery innovators across West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.

Councillor Neil Emmott, leader of Rochdale Borough Council, said: “In our borough, cooperation is what we do best. By bringing together the very best of the manufacturing community and educational partners, both local, regional and national, the AMPI will create hundreds of highly skilled, highly paid jobs on our doorstep.

“This is an unrivalled opportunity for our residents to be part of and I’m really proud of what’s been achieved so far.

“The importance of this incredible project cannot be overestimated. By bringing major organisations together in this way to pool the best skills, talent and resources from across the country, we have the power to create cutting-edge technology, which will transform the manufacturing industry in a way that will have an impact far beyond our borough’s borders.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “If you go back a century, this area was the powerhouse of the world - the first home of advanced manufacturing and machinery. We led the world and I see no reason why we can’t do exactly the same again.

“This is the best opportunity we will get to reindustrialise the North of England, but in a good way, a clean way that brings prosperity in the future. If we’re going to rise to that challenge, it will require us to innovate, to bring forward new materials and ways of making things.

“I see Atom Valley as being right at the heart of that vision. If we go first, we will bring forward the new technologies and develop our skills base. It will be built by a network of organisations and institutions like AMPI that are ready to go faster - that’s how the North of England rises again.”