Contents:
- Editor's welcome
- Britain’s Got Talent - Young stars finish second
- Men of Rochdale 2019: Paul Ellison & Ray Smith
- Stephen Gartland Foundation
- Buckley Menswear goes digital
- Reuse Littleborough
- Slow-cooked ox cheek recipe
- Rochdale's Got Talent
- Jolly Josh - a portrait of families in lockdown
- Rochdale Town Hall: Then and Now
- Being Ellysse Mason
- RAFC players read dinosaur story for schools
- Giant artwork celebrating the best bits of Rochdale opens
- Castleton Health and Leisure Centre
- Hairdressing Trend - High-Vis Red
- Rochdale manufacturer beats Bank of England to green award
- Apple & blueberry crumble with homemade custard recipe
- Bluebird Care Rochdale recognised as best in Bluebird Group
- The importance of making a will
- Take a walk at Watergrove
- Boost for local manufacturing institute plans »
Winter 2020Boost for local manufacturing institute plans
Plans to create an Advanced Machinery and Productivity Institute (AMPI) in Rochdale have been brought a step closer after being included in a UK-wide list of 17 projects.
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in partnership with Rochdale Development Agency (RDA), Milnrow-based PTG Holroyd Precision, the University of Huddersfield and University of Salford, have secured £50,000 early-stage funding for the AMPI, which could be located at Kingsway Business Park, through the UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Strength in Places Fund.
UKRI’s Strength in Places Fund is a pathfinder programme investing in research and innovation projects to boost research and innovation capacity in specific areas of the UK, driving economic growth in those areas.
With support from Rochdale Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the industry-led AMPI project will engage with over 40 companies across the North West, with more being added nationwide, and will generate around 660 new direct jobs and 530 indirect jobs across the region.
This seed funding is crucial; potentially unlocking up to £50m once the project has been fully delivered.
Tony Bannan, CEO of Holroyd and Precision Technologies Group, has long campaigned for an institute to meet the rising skills gap facing manufacturers locally.
He said: “Our ambition is for AMPI to become a practical, accessible and transformative resource for regional and national manufacturing companies. If your company needs machines, new technologies, advanced processes, or integrated systems to make your products, or if you need targeted innovation and skills to improve productivity and competitiveness, then AMPI will help you.”
The AMPI skills focus will provide a channel for local education providers to develop a sustained cohort of skilled staff. They, in combination with the more resilient and innovative supplier base, will make the region a more attractive place for inward investment.
“Rochdale is a forward-thinking and innovative manufacturing location,” said Paul Ormerod, chairman of RDA. “We recognise that the institute will be the catalyst that drives a manufacturing technology revolution.
“It will foster the innovation that will generate wealth, improve skills and deliver prosperity for Rochdale and North of England.”