Bridgend-based Control 2K Ltd, a leading Control Systems specialist based in South Wales providing market-leading PLC training, systems integration services and innovative software solutions for the manufacturing sector, has become the latest member of the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry.

Established in 1999, the software developer has been working with the MTC on several R&D projects, using the Industreweb platform to connect and collect data within multi-vendor integration projects and automation prototypes, using its unique architecture to orchestrate complex operations across a range of machine languages and protocols.

Control 2K managing director Gash Bhullar said: “Membership of the MTC is going to be transformative for the company, putting our software at the centre of some ambitious and exciting research opportunities with other members, as well as the wider manufacturing community. The MTC is at the heart of the UK and our partnership will enable us to reach out to a much larger audience, benefit from the skills and experience of the MTC research team and bring our own unique skillset to the table. We have worked closely with the MTC over the past three years and are excited to see what new opportunities our membership will bring.”

The collaboration between Control 2K and the MTC will focus on SME-driven use cases for the manufacturing industry, centred around interoperability, automation and control, custom data analytics, asset control and workflow management. The software developer aims to provide future engineers with the skills and tools they need to manufacture change in a dynamic industrial environment.

Lorenzo Stilo, advanced research engineer at the MTC, said: “We are pleased to be welcoming Control 2K as a new member. We have already worked alongside Control 2K on a high-profile collaborative research project where we took advantage of the company’s deep technical expertise in the field of machine-to-machine communication as well as its flexible and adaptable attitude towards research that has proven immensely valuable in the ever-challenging world of research engineering.

“Moreover, Industreweb, its flagship connectivity product, happens to align perfectly with the MTC vision for horizontal and vertical connectivity in and around the manufacturing shopfloor. We are excited to have Control 2K on board and we are already working on identifying future projects that can benefit from its products and expertise.”