The High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult’s 2020-21 Annual Review has captured the impact of its work to drive the transformation of UK manufacturing and support the national response to the coronavirus pandemic, drawing on examples of the AMRC's work with SMEs and impressive impact in South Yorkshire, North Wales and Lancashire.

In a year in which many companies had to resort to furlough and plant closures and when industry focus was inevitably on the short-term, the Annual Review shows the organisation continuing to deliver its mission to build a a world-leading, agile, innovation-led UK manufacturing sector. Despite the restrictions of the pandemic, the Catapult kept the torch lit for innovation using novel approaches to support nearly 5,900 industrial partners, more than half of which were SMEs.

The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) is a member of the HVM Catapult, a consortium of leading manufacturing and process research centres, backed by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK.

The projects highlighted in the Annual Review show the HVM Catapult helping to develop and scale-up the new green technologies and processes needed to reach net zero and supporting manufacturers to make the green products of the future with clean energy and sustainable materials that will not leave a scar on landscapes. It shows the organisation engaging firms of all sizes to help them harness new technologies, boost their productivity and secure and grow their markets.

The Review also shows the Catapult stepping forward to support the national response to the pandemic, taking a lead in delivering ventilators to the NHS, supporting the development of new vaccines by hosting the COVID-19 vaccine library and establishing stronger supply chains for personal protective equipment (PPE).

The 2020-21 Annual Review marks the 10th year of High Value Manufacturing Catapult operations in the same year the AMRC celebrates 20 years of making things better. Built from six centres of innovation, the organisation has grown to become the largest advanced manufacturing innovation capability in Europe with the power to transform communities across the UK. Since its creation in 2011, it has worked with nearly 22,000 companies, transforming their performance and boosting local economies.

Celebrating the Catapult’s achievements to date, new High Value Manufacturing Catapult CEO, Katherine Bennett, said: “The foundations are in place for the HVM Catapult to be at the heart of the post-pandemic recovery. Our ambition now is to make the UK a leading industrial superpower by the end of this decade, doubling the value of manufacturing as a proportion of the economy to 20 per cent.

“By working together, we will lead the UK’s clean, green recovery in 2021/22 and its industrial transformation over the years to come.”

Read and download the HVM Catapult’s 2020-21 Annual Review here.