UK University Opens £5M Process Manufacturing Center

Kirklees College, a university near Leeds, England, announced the opening of its Process Manufacturing Centre (PMC) Monday, which university, industry, and civic leaders hope will contribute to process industry job growth in the country’s northern regions.

“The centre will help enhance Leeds City Region’s reputation as a hub for manufacturing and will give students the best training possible to get a job in the industry,” said Andrew Percy, minister of Northern Powerhouse, a UK government initiative to boost the economic growth of England’s northern sections.

The center received £3.1 million in funding from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Deal, in addition to contributions from local and national businesses. The university, located in Huddersfield, said the total investment in the center, from funding and equipment donations, totals about £5 million.

Kirklees’ site features a 2000 litre, fully-operational process manufacturing batch plant and control room, a remote tank farm, and a partially-automated packaging line to provide students and apprentices with a real-world environment to learn about process manufacturing. The center also has four classrooms, an IT room, and a learning resource center.

The Process Manufacturing Centre also provides apprenticeships in key industries like chemicals and pharmaceuticals. The university said it the total number of apprentices working at the site will grow to 300 over the next few years.

“Bringing together private sector investment in the form of their technology, knowledge, and machinery with the fantastic new learning environment funded by the LEP and College, this is a ground breaking initiative. The Kirklees College Process Manufacturing Centre positions Leeds City Region as a polestar for public and private sector collaboration in the North and will help confront our skills challenges and create future career opportunities for our City Region’s young people.”

Air Products, Pneumatic & Electrical Systems, and HPC Compressed Air Systems and other UK companies have contributed equipment to the PMC.

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