The High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult has officially opened a new cutting-edge digital factory hub in Baglan, South Wales, in collaboration with Welsh Government.
Designed to supercharge innovation in Welsh manufacturing, the facility, opened by Rebecca Evans, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning at the Welsh Government, is expected to unlock up to £18million in additional GVA annually within five years by helping manufacturers improve their productivity, efficiency and sustainability through the adoption of digital solutions.
The site is located at the Bay Technology Centre in Port Talbot and will be home to state-of-the art manufacturing equipment funded by the Welsh Government. The facility is part of HVM Catapult’s network of industrial research and innovation centres that link research, business and government to develop technologies that can help Welsh manufacturers achieve their digital and sustainability goals.
HVM Catapult Baglan is the second HVM Catapult site in Wales. It is supported by Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) and the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), widening Welsh access to HVM Catapult’s UK-wide network. It will build on the success of AMRC Cymru in Broughton, part of the University of Sheffield AMRC, which, since opening in 2019 backed by £20m from Welsh Government, has helped more than 100 Welsh businesses make their products faster, cheaper, safer, cleaner and more sustainable.
HVM Catapult Baglan will be managed by WMG in collaboration with AMRC Cymru, which will run the digital factory hub. The hub has been granted £1.5 million of Welsh Government innovation funding and will showcase the latest digital technologies including a SMART workbench, advanced robotics, virtual and augmented reality and additive manufacturing.
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