Rolls-Royce plc, the civil aerospace, defence, marine and energy
group, established the University of Nottingham as the location
for a new UTC (University Technology Centre) in manufacturing technology
in 2000.
Initial
research is concentrated on the needs of Rolls-Royce,
which is investing £300,000 a year in the new venture, but it is
hoped that the UTC will provide the catalyst for involvement by
a broader spectrum of UK industry and an expansion of the centre’s
overall scope in manufacturing technology.
The
UTC is based in the University’s School
of Mechanical, Materials, Manufacturing Engineering and Operations
Management, which has an excellent track record in research
combined with pro-active interaction with industry. It will operate
under an initial five-year agreement, an dwaslaunched in September
2000.
This
is the 18th Rolls Royce UTC, and the first in this particular
field. It is Nottingham’s second, following the mechanical transmission
systems UTC established in 1997. The company has experienced significant
business benefits from such links, as advanced academic research
techniques are applied to specific industrial needs to provide the
innovative solutions that yield step change improvements in products
and processes. Benefits are mutual and continuous since the academic
community tackles "real-world" engineering challenges and solutions,
which in turn produces from this community a steady flow of high-quality
engineers with a better understanding on industry priorities.
What
did they say about the UTC?
Derek
Toller, Rolls-Royce Head of Technology, said: " We select the University
of Nottingham because of its excellence understanding of our manufacturing
business needs, and its adoption of a holistic approach to solving
industrial problems rather than simply inventing new technology".
"We
also believe they have the vision to grow the UTC by seeking funds
and equipment from a variety of sources, and to build it into a
UK manufacturing technology provider"
Rolls-Royce
Director of Engineering and Technology, Phil Ruffles, said: "Rolls-Royce
has some very specific goals in terms of delivering customer value.
As a world player in the gas turbine industry, with the broad range
of aero-engine products available and a growing presence in the
energy and marine propulsion markets, we need to ensure our internal
operations units and their supply chains deliver world-class performance
on delivery, quality and cost to our customer business. Our future
manufacturing is key to this goal"
Sir
Colin Campbell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham,
said: " We are committed to a policy which recognises that research
in engineering must be oriented to the needs of industry, and undertaken
in collaboration with industry. We have been singularly successful
in demonstrating this in recent years, examples being the Rolls-Royce
UTC in mechanical transmission systems, and the EPSRC award of a
Faraday Partnership, with Loughborough University and PERA, in collaboration
with GEC, British Aerospace and Lucas".
