Launch of the smart factory innovation center

The facility at i54 on the Wolverhampton-Staffordshire border was officially opened by the Leader of Wolverhampton City Council, Councilor Stephen Simkins, and the Leader of South Staffordshire Council, Councilor Roger Lees.

The technology-enabled business park is a joint partnership between Wolverhampton City Council, Staffordshire County Council and South Staffordshire City Council.

Swedish company Atlas Copco is a world-leading provider of industrial productivity solutions for a wide range of markets, including general engineering, manufacturing and process industries such as automotive, aerospace, electronics and renewable energy.

Representing a six-figure investment in the redevelopment of the company’s existing building, Atlas Copco will use its UK-first smart factory innovation center as a showcase and training center for industry-leading smart tooling, industrial assembly systems and machine vision solutions. The center will be powered by Ericsson’s private 5G network, providing a leading “Industry 4.0” implementation that combines human-centric skills with a tailored, secure, real-time wireless solution.

The center houses the production environment of the replica factory, allowing Atlas Copco to demonstrate the company’s entire portfolio of solutions. This includes configurable 5G-enabled tool inspection software and the latest error-proof solution, as well as the latest inspection solution with 3D laser technology.

In addition to attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Councilors Simkins and Councilors Lees had the opportunity to see the Smart Factory Innovation Hub in action and learn how Atlas Copco is nurturing the next generation of smart manufacturing leaders by meeting some of the company’s current apprentice executives and recent graduates.

Cllr Simkins said: “Once again, the award-winning i54 business park developed jointly by Wolverhampton City Council, Staffordshire County Council and South Staffordshire Council provides a springboard for industrial innovation.

“Atlas Copco’s new Smart Factory Innovation Center will help manufacturing businesses – in the West Midlands and well beyond – gain competitive advantage by improving efficiency and strengthening sustainability levels.

“It was great to see some of these emerging technologies firsthand today to better understand how this state-of-the-art facility will further enhance the region’s world-class strengths in this sector.”

James McAllister, CEO of Atlas Copco Tools and Industrial Assembly Solutions, said: “The Atlas Copco Group continues to innovate and break new ground as a strategic partner to manufacturers around the world, and this major investment in our Midlands operations will further strengthen our commitment and ability to ensure real-time production efficiency. Our Smart Factory Innovation Center reflects Atlas Copco’s vision and mission to create a smart manufacturing ecosystem that enables our customers to digitize their manufacturing processes and achieve sustainability goals by leveraging real-time data insights from industry-leading smart tools, vision systems and software. We look forward to welcoming customers and aspiring industry partners in 2024.”