Unipart Manufacturing
Coventry University and Unipart Manufacturing have a long-standing partnership which developed to see them create the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME). The AME is famous for being the UK's first 'Faculty on the Factory Floor' that brings together the best in academia, industry and R&D in a ‘live’ manufacturing environment.
The Challenge
Unipart wanted to achieve the following aims:
- Develop industry-ready engineering graduates
- Research and develop innovative technology for automotive, aerospace, oil and gas, power generation and rail sectors
- Disseminate research and technologies for the benefit of Unipart, its suppliers and UK manufacturing
- Create new postgraduate learning opportunities and professional development courses for industry
- Drive economic growth by making the UK globally competitive
The Solution
- Bring together the best in academia, industry and R&D into a real-world environment through the creation of a specialist institute.
Unipart Manufacturing’s long-standing collaboration with the University led to the creation of the award-winning Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME). AME is known as the UK’s ‘first Faculty on the Factory Floor’ as it’s a real-world, working factory that also doubles as an academic base where students can gain real-world experience as they study. Unipart also benefit from being able to bring together the best in academia, industry and research & development in a live manufacturing environment. The AME is committed to arming UK industry with the skills, technologies and competitive advantage required to trade globally, creating jobs across the supply chain and generating real economic value to the UK.
The courses available aim to address the domestic skills shortage and the need for more graduate engineers that can enter industry and have an immediate impact.
The plan, initially, was to devise a new approach to developing the graduate engineers of the future as part of our commitment to bridging the skills gap.
However, when discussing the longer-term future of the Institute, we quickly realised that was potential to achieve a far wider remit, a remit that could improve UK manufacturing’s global competitiveness.
This involved developing three main areas…teaching and skills, engagement with business and commercialising Research and Development.
Professor Carl Perrin, Director, Institute of Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering
We want to be among the leaders of the fourth industrial revolution and that’s going to require the combination of business entrepreneurial skills and deep technical know-how. So the creation of the Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering institute is going to give us a chance to create industry ready technology and industry ready young men and women.
John Neill, Chairman and Group Chief Executive, Unipart
