Last week, local and regional businesses heard more about the benefits of automation and were updated about Ashfield District Council’s plans to develop its world-class automated distribution and manufacturing centre within the District.
The Automated Distribution and Manufacturing Centre (ADMC), the plans for which were approved on 31 July 2024, is the Council’s flagship project from its £62.6 million Towns Deal. It is set to cement the District at the heart of the innovation and technology sector within the East Midlands Combined Authority area.
The event was held at The Romo Group on 6 September. Entitled Getting the most from Automation and the ADMC, attendees were able to:
· Learn more about the planned work of the ADMC and its progress to date
· Hear about examples of successful automation deployed in Ashfield and the East Midlands Combined Authority area
· Access to expertise and advice to help decide whether to automate, what entry points exist, how to plan for future automation, what pitfalls to avoid when introducing automation, what skills are needed to support this change, and what support is available
· Meet automation technology suppliers and understand more about their solutions for business
· Participate in round table workshops, based on specific topics relevant to business needs
The ADMC will work with businesses to explain how automated technology can help them to improve their operations, to research and develop automated solutions to their challenges with them, and to train their staff on how to use and maintain these systems. The centre has been designed with the support of a range of local businesses, large and small, as well as the major automation technology suppliers based in the UK.
The ADMC is a key component for the Council to achieve its ambitions for Ashfield to leverage its strong manufacturing heritage and central location in the UK. The centre, which will be based adjacent to Lowmoor Road, Kirkby, has ambitions to ignite the adoption of automation distribution and manufacturing in business across the region. It will help drive improved productivity and bring more high skilled jobs to Ashfield.
The ADMC will be the centrepiece of a £100 million+ innovation and technology park development. This also aims to attract inward investment from technology-based companies outside the District and create higher economic growth opportunities for the residents of Ashfield.
As part of the development of the park, native trees and hedging will be planted to create a new high-quality habitat and to act as a screen from the residential estate across from the site. A new species-rich meadow and a wet grassland meadow will be created to further improve the biodiversity.
Ashfield District Council are working in partnership with Vision West Nottinghamshire College (VWNC), Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and Nottinghamshire County Council to deliver this ADMC. NTU are investing some £1m in the ADMC project and both they and VWNC are aligning their local skills and training facilities with it, the latter being adjacent to the technology park site.
Following its approval, work to build the ADMC are due to start soon, with an expected completion date for late 2025.
Cllr Matthew Relf, Executive Lead Member for Growth, Regeneration, and Local Planning, said: “Following the success of our ‘Automation for You’ event in May last year, we are proud to have brought together local and national businesses once again for this fantastic event.
“Interest in the work of the ADMC is already high from within the local and regional business base to help our business grow and become more competitive on the global stage.
“The ADMC is a hugely exciting project for the Ashfield, the benefits of which will be felt for generations to come.
“It will also attract further investment into Ashfield due to its size and state-of-the-art facilities, creating a legacy of industry, technology, and innovation. The economic benefits of this project for Ashfield and the broader region are set to be incredible.
“This is all part of our broader regeneration strategy to make Ashfield a fantastic place to live, work, study, play and visit.
“Our team continues to seek a broad range of inputs on the development of the ADMC and would love to hear from any businesses of any size who are curious about how automation and the ADMC could help them. So please get in touch if you are curious about how automation could help your business thrive.”
Businesses can contact the project team by emailing info@theadmc.co.uk or sign up to our newsletter at https://www.theadmc.co.uk/ for the latest updates.
Mansfield 103.2 Afternoon News - 221124
