
A specialist centre to develop new manufacturing processes for lightweight materials for the aerospace, automotive and energy industries is to be set up as a first step towards creating a National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that the £8.9 million lightweight manufacturing centre, being set up in the former Doosan Babcock factory in Westway, Renfrew, will support highly skilled jobs and help place Scotland at the forefront of lightweight manufacturing.
It will be run by Strathclyde University’s Advanced Forming Research Centre in nearby Inchinnan.
She said: “The centre will give Scottish companies a competitive edge in new manufacturing processes for lightweight materials such as titanium and carbon fibre, which are increasingly being used in the aerospace, automotive, oil and gas and renewables industries.
“Lightweight materials increase efficiency and performance and help reduce carbon emissions”.