Manufacturing Today Issue 210 Issue 210 March 2023 | Page 37

“ Industry Primes seek a trusted supply chain , and they have found that in Northern Ireland . ADS Northern Ireland started with a membership of seven companies in 2010 and has grown to more than 100 today ,” said Dr Leslie Orr , Director of ADS Northern Ireland , the industry body representing the Aerospace , Defence , Security and Space industries in the region .
New Funding for ‘ Factories of the Future ’
The sector is supported by world leading research hubs like the Northern Ireland Advanced Composites & Engineering Centre ( NIACE ), the Electronics , Communications and Information Technology Centre ( ECIT ), and the Northern Ireland Technology Centre ( NITC ) all in close proximity .
Over the next few years , Northern Ireland will benefit from a package of investment from four City & Growth Deals , with combined funding of £ 1.3bn , which will be complemented by private sector and other sources of funding .
These significant deals will help create global centres of innovation excellence in key growth sectors , with aerospace playing a major part . They will provide opportunities for businesses , located both in and outside Northern Ireland , to collaborate and tap into the world-leading expertise of Northern Ireland ’ s universities to create breakthrough technologies , products and services . Additionally , they will develop the infrastructure and test environments that will allow the next generation of products to be tested and trialled .
A £ 98m Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre ( AMIC ) project , led by Queen ’ s University Belfast , in partnership with Ulster University and Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council , will provide fresh capabilities for the NI Advanced Composites and Engineering Centre ( NIACE ) and create a 10,500m 2 ‘ Factory of the Future ’ at Global Point in Newtownabbey , giving advanced manufacturing and engineering businesses access to the very latest technology , specialist equipment and expertise .
The ‘ Factory of the Future ’ will be AMIC ’ s flagship facility and will become Northern Ireland ’ s national centre for advanced manufacturing , significantly accelerating levels of innovation and collaboration between industry and researchers .
Discover what a partnership with Northern Ireland can do for your business .
Visit : InvestNI . com / advanced-manufacturingand-engineering
SpiritAerosystems , Belfast