Bristol project among winners of £13.7 million UKRI funding for sustainability and digital innovation in factories

An innovative Bristol-based project run by Domin Fluid Power is among the winners of almost £14 million in combined UK Research & Development (UKRI) backing from its latest funding call under the Made Smarter Innovation challenge – the Sustainable Smart Factory competition.

The collaborative research and development competition sought to identify and support digital innovations to improve the sustainability of manufacturing processes, resulting in either reduced material or energy consumption.

Projects applying for funding were required to show an innovative development and application of data or digital technology that could help optimise material usage, and reduce, reuse or separate waste materials, or lower energy consumption to increase sustainability throughout an area of production.

In Bristol, Domin Fluid Power were successful in their application for their project COMPASS - Comprehensive Machine and Process Analysis for Sustainable Production Systems.

This project focuses on additive manufacturing based manufacturing, using AI and data science to analyse processes and production capacity to improve resource and energy efficiency within the manufacturing space across the next three years.

Industry minister Jackie Doyle-Price said: “Creating and adopting the latest in digital technology solutions will be key to the continued success of our manufacturing sector.

"It is now critical that companies are using technology such as AI and virtual reality to maximise their potential by driving up their energy efficiency and productivity.

“Domin Fluid Power’s innovative use of 3D printing for the global hydraulics industry is a fantastic opportunity to seize on opportunities that exist across the sector, while improving energy efficiency and boosting jobs.”

Simon Jones, chief technology officer at Domin, said: “Domin are using Additive Manufacturing to develop products and applications that will significantly reduce energy usage in the motion and control industries, enabling our partners and the wider industry to save 1B tonnes of CO2e per year by 2030.

"Project COMPASS and partnering with Ai Build are key strategic steps towards realising our vision.”

Chris Needham, innovation lead in the Made Smarter Innovation challenge, said:

“Effective digital technologies can have a substantial impact on the manufacturing sector, bringing outdated, inefficient and unproductive products and processes up the standards needed for a net zero industry of the future.

"It’s clear from the wide range of applications we received just how far waste and energy issues extend across different industries. The successful applicants clearly demonstrated real innovation and showed just how the right use of data and technology can make a significant difference to businesses.

"We now look forward to working alongside them to deliver successful outcomes.”

There are still further opportunities to get involved with the Made Smarter Innovation challenge.

The MSI Digital Supply Chain Innovation Hub is open at https://digitalsupplychainhub.uk/get-involved/ for expressions of interest to run supply chain test beds.

The next collaborative R&D funding opportunity will also be launching in January 2023, offering a combined £6m for industrial readiness robotics innovation projects within manufacturing operations. More information on the MSI challenge can be found at https://www.madesmarter.uk/made-smarter-innovation/