An engine room to power innovation

The final touches are being made to AMRC North West, the £20m research centre set to make Lancashire a leader in manufacturing innovation and act as an engine room for the region’s sustainable economic growth.

The flagship facility, which sits at the heart of the Samlesbury Aerospace Enterprise Zone close to Preston, is run by the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and has been built using a £20m grant from the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Deal.

Construction on the 4,500 sqm research and innovation facility began in late 2020 and is almost complete, with work underway to install state-of-the-art equipment and get the building ready for staff to move in ahead of an official opening planned for early 2022.

The cutting-edge centre combines sleek, modern office workspace with a flexible high-tech workshop, and a triple-height atrium forms a hub where staff can interact and exchange ideas. A ‘social heart’ space overlooks the workshop area where innovation-led R&D will focus on digital and additive manufacturing, vehicle electrification, battery assembly and lightweighting technologies.

Melissa Conlon, commercial director for AMRC North West, said the new centre will keep Lancashire at the forefront of advanced manufacturing and technologies, and support the region’s regeneration and economic growth.

“Our new building will enable us to scale-up our work with regional stakeholders to help manufacturers in the North West to improve processes, speed up product development and stay competitive by benefitting from new technologies,” she said.

“Our strengths lie in demystifying and derisking the process of adopting Industry 4.0 technologies through research, collaboration and knowledge. By having this fantastic facility rooted in Lancashire, the region’s manufacturers will be able to take advantage of world-class pioneering academic research and translate it into innovative industry-transforming solutions that make a real difference to their businesses.

“Not only will our new home in Samlesbury be a manufacturing research centre but it will also be an open-access technology demonstrator, a 5G testbed, and set the standard for low carbon smart factories to drive inward investment to the region.”

The centre will be equipped with a suite of cutting-edge machines, the first of which have already begun to make their way onto the workshop floor.

Research director James Hughes is delighted to be moving into the state-of-the-art facility, and says its size and scale matches that of the ambitions of the AMRC North West team.

“The journey from concept to reality has been a challenge, however we’re looking forward to a new chapter in the AMRC North West story,” he said. “The new building will allow us to fully showcase the breadth and depth of our research and development technology portfolio in a way that just wasn’t possible previously.

“The team and I are hugely excited that we have the opportunity to show the region exactly what we can do to help manufacturers meet their future challenges.”

AMRC North West has been operating from an interim facility provided by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in the centre of Preston since forming in 2018. The AMRC North West team’s new home is now a gateway development on the Samlesbury Aerospace Enterprise Zone, which is part of the wider Lancashire Advanced Manufacturing and Energy Cluster.

Iain Martin, senior engagement manager for AMRC North West, said: “Completion of the facility brings to a close a long and challenging development period, during which time we have been able to establish our Lancashire presence thanks to the generosity of the University of Central Lancashire playing host to us on their Preston campus.

"Having this base in Preston has enabled us to support more than 200 of Lancashire’s manufacturing SMEs to date through our diverse range of fully-funded support programmes.

“We are now incredibly excited to move into our facility which represents the next step in our journey and a real step-change for manufacturing support in the region.”

Enjoyed this? Read more from Lancashire Business View

Latest news

1

VARS Technology team up with debt resolution specialists to fight fuel theft David Nichol John Garnett Aydan Jones and Laura Tilley

VARS Technology team up with debt resolution specialists to fight fuel theft

12 Sep 2025

2

University of Lancashire unveils Preston campus installation to celebrate name change University of Lancashire new feature

University of Lancashire unveils Preston campus installation to celebrate name change

12 Sep 2025

3

PM+M welcomes ten new apprentices for 2025 intake Lucy Field, Kate Walsh, Ellie Fisher, Zainab Aswat, Reece Jones, Aisha Bibi Patel, Finley Vila, Uzair Zariwala, Richard Prest, and Charlie Harrison

PM+M welcomes ten new apprentices for 2025 intake

11 Sep 2025

4

ROCCIA strengthens commercial division with senior appointment Andrew Grove

ROCCIA strengthens commercial division with senior appointment

11 Sep 2025

5

Final call for investors: Rossendale community solar project must hit target by November Gary McEwan managing director of Interfloor

Final call for investors: Rossendale community solar project must hit target by November

10 Sep 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs
Sub36 Deaf Village Social1200
Networking
17 Sep 2025

Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs

The Deaf Village, Blackburn, BB2 5EN

10:00 - 12:00

LBV124 September/October Launch Event
MBP Arc Cinema Preston Opening 205
Networking
18 Sep 2025

LBV124 September/October Launch Event

The Arc Cinema, Preston, PR1 2BL

08:30 - 10:30

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

Longridge Soap Box Derby
Screenshot 2025-06-10 090035.png.png
LBV Hub Fundraisers
14 Sep 2025 - 14 Sep 2025

Longridge Soap Box Derby

Berry Lane, Longridge, PR3 3WH

10:00 - 16:30

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!
Preston Tech Connection Sept 25.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
16 Sep 2025 - 16 Sep 2025

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 19:00

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
17 Sep 2025 - 17 Sep 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

Cumbria Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-880461633-4862066883-1-original.20241022-110415.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
19 Sep 2025 - 19 Sep 2025

Cumbria Business Expo 2025

Carlisle Racecourse, Carlisle, CA2 4TS

09:00 - 15:00

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September
Sept Freelancer (1).png.png
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Your Business, Your Region: Making sense of devolution and Local Government Reorganisation
Chorley Council breakfast event new
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Your Business, Your Region: Making sense of devolution and Local Government Reorganisation

Worden Hall, Leyland, PR25 3DH

08:00 - 11:00

Speed Networking with BNI
2.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
24 Sep 2025 - 24 Sep 2025

Speed Networking with BNI

Chorley Football Club, Chorley, PR7 3DU

16:00 - 19:00

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTD for ITSA) drop-in day
MTD drop in session.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
25 Sep 2025 - 25 Sep 2025

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTD for ITSA) drop-in day

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTD for ITSA) drop-in day, Blackburn, BB1 5QB

10:00 - 16:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV 123 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin