Polypipe is hundredth member of Sheffield AMRC

Polypipe, based in Doncaster, has become the 100th member of the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre.

Polypipe makes a wide range of plumbing, drainage and ventilation systems for residential, commercial and civil infrastructure and construction. It hopes its membership of the AMRC will allow it to continue to develop autonomous manufacturing methods that will support the company’s expansion into new markets and sectors.

Polypipe first took on its first cohort of apprentices at the AMRC Training Centre in 2014. It is now expanding to include research into factory and off site build of large components for the construction industry.

Cameron McLellan, Polypipe’s Managing Director, said: “The AMRC has a reputation for being a centre of excellence for engineering skill and apprenticeship training. The Training Centre was the best choice for us to train the next generation of our engineers, allowing us to invest not only in the young people of the local region, but the continued success of our Doncaster manufacturing base where 1000 members of our staff are employed.

“Becoming a member of the AMRC is a natural extension of the partnership that has been built between us, as Polypipe has grown and expanded into new markets and sectors, so has our partnership with the AMRC.

“The region boasts a concentration of skills in manufacturing and our combined skills in design and innovation complement each other perfectly.”

The development of the AMRC’s Factory 2050 - the UK’s first research facility entirely dedicated to collaborative research into reconfigurable digital assembly and flexible component manufacturing - was a big draw for the company.

Professor Keith Ridgway, Executive Dean of the AMRC, said: “It is fantastic that our one hundredth member is a local company. The aim of the AMRC has always been to help the regeneration of this Region so it is particularly pleasing to see a company such as Polypipe working with us to develop new manufacturing techniques and train the workforce of tomorrow.”