EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Queen’s University Belfast Opens AMIC

Queen’s University Belfast has officially opened the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC), a circa £100m investment through the Belfast Region City Deal that supports innovation, growth and the future of manufacturing in Northern Ireland. The facility is expected to create up to 1500 jobs across Northern Ireland, contribute £1.3bn to the economy and support the training of 300 apprentices by 2050. 

Located at Global Point in Newtownabbey, AMIC is designed for industry and in response to the needs of the burgeoning advanced manufacturing sector in Northern Ireland, with businesses and industry partners helping to shape its capabilities. The 10,500 m2 facility comprises a large engineering hall, labs, metrology suite, cleanroom, offices, meeting rooms, collaboration spaces, VR suite, an auditorium and cafe. 

More information www.we-are-amic.com 

Manufacturing Champion Delivers SME Support Boost 

A new national platform designed to streamline how manufacturing SMEs access essential support has been launched by industry ambassador Andrea Wilson. The former managing director of Hone-All Precision has officially unveiled ManufacturingUK.org, a free to access digital platform bringing together a disparate support ecosystem in one place, a place where users can tap into advice and guidance from funding providers, skills programmes, trade associations, innovation resources and best-practice events. The site makes life easier for manufacturers that often find it difficult and time-consuming to access support. 

More information www.manufacturinguk.org 

ADIPEC Technical Conference Set to Stage 190+ Sessions 

As energy systems face rising demand, greater complexity and increasing pressure to perform, technical expertise is central to improving reliability, efficiency and long-term resilience. The ADIPEC Technical Conference 2026 (Abu Dhabi, 2 to 5 November) convenes engineers, operators, researchers, technology leaders and technical specialists from across the energy value chain to exchange applied knowledge, benchmark solutions and advance practical innovation. 

Across more than 190 sessions, over 1100 expert speakers will examine the technologies, processes and capabilities needed to improve operational performance, strengthen system resilience and deliver scalable solutions across real-world energy systems. Themes will include: asset development, engineering and project delivery; digital and intelligent energy systems; and sustainability, decarbonisation and environmental stewardship. 

More information www.adipec.com/conferences/technical-overview 

£130k Grant 

TextureJet has been awarded a £130,000 Innovate UK grant to accelerate the development of ArcSlice, the company’s new and disruptive surface-finishing technology platform for composite and polymer surfaces. Awarded through Innovate UK’s ‘Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chains: Potential High Growth SMEs’ competition, the funding will support an intensive nine-month project designed to move ArcSlice another significant step towards commercial deployment. The ambition is clear: to help manufacturers improve process consistency and product quality while reducing waste, time and cost.  

More information www.tinyurl.com/33tysxey 

UK Steel DG

UK Steel has appointed of Peter Brennan as its new director-general, taking over the leadership of the trade association at a pivotal moment for the UK steel industry. Brennan succeeds Gareth Stace, who steps down after 12 years as director-general but will remain with UK Steel as an adviser for a short transition period before leaving the organisation. Having worked at the heart of UK Steel’s policy and advocacy work, Brennan brings extensive knowledge of the industry and the challenges and opportunities facing UK steelmakers.  

More information www.uksteel.org