Pocket spring manufacturer Spinks has been awarded a £670,000 grant by UK Research and Innovation to develop an application of digital technologies within wire drawing, spring manufacturing and bed making.
Part of UKRI’s Made Smarter innovation challenge, the grant will be put towards developing a smart network of digital decision tools to simulate and predict resource and energy use, with sensors and meters to assess production and improve its effectiveness.
‘We are delighted to be one of only 12 UK companies recognised for our digital innovation efforts and continued focus on driving forward the sustainability of our manufacturing processes. It is vital for the manufacturing sector to continuously evolve and adopt the very latest in digital technology solutions and we’re proud to be a part of pioneering these efforts,’ says Darren Marcangelo, Spinks md.
Projects applying for the UKRI funding were required to show an innovative development and application of data or digital technology that could help optimise material usage, and reduce, reuse or separate waste materials, or lower energy consumption to increase sustainability throughout an area of production.
Spinks will be working alongside consortium partners; Bespoke Automation Controls Solutions, with expertise in machine programming languages and the Manufacturing Technology Centre, which has experience in digitised factory projects.
