KW Special Projects’ ‘state of the art’ 20,000ft² Digital Manufacturing Centre (DMC), which will use ‘ground-breaking’ industry processes to deliver engineering solutions for industry sectors including space, medical, marine, energy and automotive, has officially opened for business at Silverstone Park.

The DMC becomes the latest specialist high-tech facility at Silverstone Park – adding to those in metrology (Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence), electro-magnetic testing (Applus+ 3C Test) and sports performance engineering (Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub).

Kieron Salter, KW Special Projects’ CEO, said: “This is a significant moment for us – the realisation of a vision. Undertaking construction and fit-out in the middle of a global pandemic has not been without its challenges but, thanks to the support of our partners and SEMLEP, the DMC team’s efforts speak for themselves.

“While we have been operating at a limited capacity on a select few customer projects, we are now opening the doors and offering these unprecedented capabilities to wider industry.”

He added: “When we first looked around at the existing AM (additive manufacturing) market, there was a clear lack of engineering collaboration, focus and support. Parts were being made, but suppliers had little practical engineering input or capability. We set out to bridge that gap by focusing on engineering for application and the production of end-use ready parts.

“Now, we offer a truly end-to-end solution that will enable innovators in the UK and abroad to really push the boundary, whether that be launching satellites or beating lap records.”

Realising Industry 4.0
“Not only are we bringing together the most innovative processes and equipment from across the industry, but we are doing so with a focus on connectivity and the end goal of integrating machine learning and artificial intelligence into our process chain, realising Industry 4.0 and aligning with the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

“This will provide a step-change in efficiency and part quality, distinguishing us from other suppliers and helping to ‘level up’ UK manufacturing and the national supply chain.”

MEPC’s Roz Bird, commercial director at Silverstone Park and also chair of the Silverstone Technology Cluster, said: “We are delighted to see Kieron and his team realise their vision with this absolutely incredible facility. The Digital Manufacturing Centre’s capabilities to deliver for the big tech sectors of the future are absolutely world class – a real game-changer for industry at large.

“The DMC also fulfils part of MEPC’s vision for Silverstone Park when we took over as developer nearly eight years ago – this is a prime example of a business taking advantage of that vision and support to realise its growth ambitions, and there is a lot more still to come as we continue building out the site and increasing the opportunities.

“This is another fantastic moment for the growth of MEPC Silverstone Park, the Silverstone Technology Cluster and the UK’s wider high-tech capabilities.”