Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing
Automotive
The broader Automotive sector is equally strong, represented by long-standing businesses, alongside newer businesses such as Oxbotica; experts in autonomous driving.
Motorsport
The Motorsport sector in the Thames Valley is home to the Silverstone F1 circuit, alongside many teams and countless companies in the F1 supply chain.
Space
Space and Harwell go hand in hand – their Thames Valley location is home to the European Space Agency and the UK Space Agency.
Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing in the UK
The UK’s advanced engineering and manufacturing industry has thousands of supply chain companies, with a thriving manufacturing industry and investment in automation and technological advances that potentially adds £275 billion to the national economy each year.
Investing heavily in Research and Development (R&D), the UK has encouraged innovation in a range of sectors including sustainable manufacturing, clean energy, efficient and integrated transport, health and wellbeing, material and resource efficiency and food security.
The UK currently homes over 100,000 manufacturing companies, boosted by government aims for public and private sector investment in R&D to reach 2.4% of GDP by 2027.
Since 2007, the UK has committed £1.8 billion as funding support for investors in new projects matched by similar amounts from business’ funding and partners. The growth potential of the sector is illustrated as 71% of companies with an annual turnover of £10 million are interested in the automation industry.
The scope for future grown this is sector is shown by the predicted Industrial Revolution, known as Industry 4.0. The UK is ranked a leading country in the process of Industry 4.0 which is set to use technology to transform productivity.