Lanner is latest Manufacturing Technology Centre member

Henley-in-Arden simulation software company Lanner has become the latest member of the pioneering Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry.

Lanner’s support of the MTC’s ground-breaking research programmes will mean that its WITNESS simulation software will be at the heart of cutting edge advanced manufacturing and engineering initiatives and activities.

Meanwhile Lanner will be able to take advantage of the state-of-the-art facilities at the MTC which was the venue for the 2014 WITNESS User Conference earlier this month.

MTC chief executive Dr Clive Hickman said he was delighted that a company with the reputation has joined the MTC’s elite community.

“This partnership will provide significant scope for Lanner and the MTC to investigate opportunities to apply WITNESS in innovative and productive ways, driving efficiency in UK manufacturing and delivering a competitive edge. We will begin using Lanner’s WITNESS simulation software for both core and membership research activities in early 2014,” he said.

David Jones, chief executive of Lanner, said, “Many of our key customers are active members of the MTC and it was a natural choice for Lanner to be the MTC’s simulation partner. The manufacturing sector has always led innovative process management thinking and many leaders in the industry would not dream of making a strategic change or planning decision without predictive simulation. With modern cloud environments and powerful virtual reality engines it has never been more opportune for manufacturers, such as the MTC’s members, to embrace the foresight delivered by using this technology.”

The MTC opened in 2011 and was founded by the University of Birmingham, Loughborough University, the University of Nottingham and TWI Ltd. The MTC’s industrial members include some of the UK’s major global manufacturers.

The MTC aims to provide a competitive environment to bridge the gap between university-based research and the development of innovative manufacturing solutions, in line with the Government’s manufacturing strategy. The MTC is part the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, supported by the Technology Strategy Board.

The growth of the Manufacturing Technology Centre has far exceeded expectations, achieving many of its targets five years ahead of schedule.