The first wave of Lancashire firms have signed up to the government-backed Made Smarter programme with a vision of transforming their businesses by adopting new digital technologies.
EnviroSystems, based in Preston, Graham Engineering Ltd (GEL), in Nelson, and T&R Precision Engineering, will each seek to boost manufacturing productivity and growth by implementing new methods and equipment.
They are among a cohort of nine North West companies who have successfully applied for Made Smarter matched-funding, allowing them to explore and adopt leading-edge advanced manufacturing methods such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), 3D-printing and robotics.
EnviroSystems is a small, family-owned company which supplies farmers with innovative products from its base in Preston. It wants to develop cutting-edge dosing systems to treat and improve the quality of slurry. The company estimates that by harnessing smart technologies including sensors, big data, analytics and machine learning the company could grow at a rate of 16 per cent per year for the next three years.
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