The MTA looks to promote and support the adoption of members technology within the UK and Internationally, as well keeping track and informing members of the latest technology trends and future market technology requirements, to ensure they create and develop the required next generation of manufacturing technology.
We do this through a combination of supporting, participating in and promoting a number of industry/academic initiatives, and through active engagement with relevant stakeholders (i.e. Research Organisations, OEMs, Other Industry Associations, Government etc).
For further information on the MTA’s Industry Engagement work please contact the MTA’s Head of Technology and Skills, Joshua Dugdale on [email protected] or the MTA’s Technology & Skills Manager, Sami Ortiz on [email protected]
Academia/Industry Initiatives
To help industry and academia engage with our members we participate in several industry and academia led initiatives. An overview of the current initiatives we are part of is listed below, along with a short explanation. If you wish to find out any further information on any of these initiatives please contact the MTA’s Technology & Skills Manager, Sami Ortiz [email protected]
Surface Engineering Leadership Forum (SELF)
SELF has been set up to promote the surface engineering sector, and to ensure that it continues to grow remain competitive whilst improving profits. Its aim is to support the UK materials and manufacturing industries on their journey to become world beating in the application of Industry 4.0 principles and tools.
SELF was founded following an in-depth report produced by a Special Interest Group (SIG) looking at the future needs of the SEAC (Surface Engineering and Advanced Coatings) community. The SIG reported to government and industry bodies in 2014 and concluded that, if SEAC technology in the UK is to be viewed as a future high value manufacturing technology and thrive in increasingly competitive global markets, the sector must develop its capabilities to provide the service and confidence that customers are seeking.
In short, SELF looks to encourage research and development, increase manufacturing capability levels, and develop partnerships with the research base, supply chain and end users to make the UK SEAC industry more competitive.
If you wish to find out more about SELF, then please contact the MTA’s Technology & Skills Manager, Sami Ortiz on [email protected] or Surface Engineering Association (SEA) on [email protected].
Safety and Health Engineering Partnership (SHEP)
The SHEP initiative is a forum to allow the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) engage with industry and inform it of its current priorities and inspection campaigns and allow industry to obtain advice, guidance, and support where necessary.
It also allows for Trade associations and their member companies to exchange health and safety information, knowledge, experience, and good practices.
If you require any other information about SHEP, want to see how you can get involved, or find out about any of the events that SHEP are hosting then please get in contact with the MTA’s Technology & Skills Manager, Sami Ortiz on [email protected]
Through-Life Engineering Services (TES)
TES is a set of tools and techniques, business thinking and network behaviour that enables reliable and predictable improvement of value and reduction of cost for in-use long-life engineering assets. The MTA sit on the TES council and aiding the promotion of the initiative to the wider engineering community.
A Publicly Available Specification (PAS) has been put together by the TES community and is available for free download from the British Standards Institute website: https://shop.bsigroup.com/forms/PASs/PAS-28020185/
For further information on the TES initiative, please contact the MTA’s Technology & Skills Manager, Sami Ortiz [email protected]
Digital Manufacturing on a Shoestring
How can low-cost, off-the-shelf digital solutions be adapted to meet SME business needs? Digital Manufacturing on a Shoestring is a collaborative project across manufacturing SMEs and researchers, harnessing low-cost technology solutions to support growth and productivity.
The project is investigating how existing and readily available digital technologies can be implemented on a low-cost basis to support growth and productivity in SMEs, and how the unique business challenges of an individual company can be identified, and then appropriate digital solutions be implemented to deliver value.
If you wish to find out more about the Digital Manufacturing on a Shoestring project, please visit the following website: https://www.digitalshoestring.net/, or contact the Technology & Skills Manager, Sami Ortiz on [email protected].
UK Industry Advisory Forum (IAF)
The UK IAF is a mirror group of a CEN-CENELEC (European Standards bodies) forum which is looking to improve engagement with industry at a strategic level when undertaking standards development work. The purpose of the CEN-CENELEC forum and the UK IAF is to allow the following:
- Have an open exchange on current standardisation issues.
- Identify and inform on standardisation priority topics for the industry.
- Express suggestions, expectations and concerns to identify common solutions.
The information obtained through these forums helps inform standardisation priorities for CEN and CENELEC and how they should be addressed, as well as helping to define medium- and long-term market driven standardisation objectives. The current five areas of focus for the UK IAF and CEN-CENELEC Forum are as follows:
- Digital Transformation
- Construction Products Regulations (CPR)
- International / Global Impact
- The new legislative Framework (NLF) & Regulatory aspects
- The Standards development process.
To find out more information about the UK IAF and how it works with CEN and CENELEC then please contact the MTA’s Technology & Skills Manager, Sami Ortiz on [email protected]
AMPI – The Advanced Machinery & Productivity Institute
AMPI is an initiative looking to drive innovation in the UK’s advanced machinery manufacturers so they can meet the challenges of developing new technology and entering emerging markets.
The initiative is led by an industrial consortium and is centred around existing capabilities and research excellence across the North of England and the wider UK.
AMPI will be a pivotal UK intervention, and will fulfil a presently unaddressed, yet critical aspect of, the UK’s manufacturing innovation infrastructure.
To find out more about AMPI please either visit the website: https://www.ampi.org.uk/ or contact the MTA’s Head of Technology and Skills, Josh Dugdale, [email protected]