The doubling in size of the NCC, which is part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, is being supported by Government funding of £28 million. The expansion will allow the NCC to extend its capabilities to develop composite technology for the aerospace, automotive, renewable energy and rail sectors. This will create an additional 50 NCC jobs, 30-50 jobs within the member organisations and 80-150 construction jobs during the build phase. As well as providing increased capacity and a dedicated high speed composite manufacturing technology facility, there will be a new world-class training centre for higher level and vocational skills development. This will help train the next generation of engineers in composites manufacturing and technologies and bring together leading businesses, colleges and Universities. Business Minister Michael Fallon said: “This technology and innovation centre is an important asset for the south west and the UK. It is a real collaborative success story and helping to give us a competitive advantage in composites - a vital technology in high value manufacturing. “Composites manufacturing is a real growth industry for the future. It’s very exciting to see that work on the extension is now underway thanks to government support and funding. These plans will make it one of the largest research and technology centres of its type in the world and help to maintain our global lead in this technology area. It will increase the centre's ability to get new products from the laboratory to the shopfloor and widen the scope of its activities.” NCC CEO, Professor Peter Chivers said: “The Minister’s support reflects the Government’s on-going commitment to High Value Manufacturing and its growth in the UK. The extended NCC will provide for further innovation in composites manufacturing and technology development, skills and education, and offers greater support for SMEs and the supply chain across all sectors. It will be fundamental in enabling the UK to remain competitive in this rapidly growing global market.” www.nccuk.com
