A round up of the major updates in the Manufacturing Industry – 6th May to 12th May 2023

Ascent Biotech raises funding to ramp up manufacturing in UK

Ascend, a UK biotech group, has raised $130m to purchase manufacturing facilities and expert teams from struggling cell and gene therapy start-ups. The company aims to address the significant capacity bottleneck that slows down treatments for patients. Their expertise lies in manufacturing complex products with increased regulations. Ascend hopes to bring down production costs and broaden the kinds of diseases that can be targeted. 

The Potters Bar site, situated in the Golden Triangle for life sciences between Oxford, Cambridge, and London, could bolster the UK’s cell and gene therapy industry. This will also potentially enable better disease prevention.

Wastefront AS creates a full supply chain for used tyres

Weber & Schaer, one of Europe’s largest rubber distributors industry, has signed a strategic on-sale agreement for Wastefront’s Recovered Carbon Black (rCB). This deal will create a fully circular supply chain for the UK’s end-of-life tyres. Its first plant will be launched at Port of Sunderland, which could process around 80,000 tonnes of tyres per year at full capacity.

Weber & Schaer will take a minimum of 35% of the rCB produced at Wastefront’s Sunderland plant, with the potential to increase its scale in the future. By manufacturing renewable fuels from end-of-life tyres and rCB to produce new tyres, Wastefront is moving closer to its mission to create a green global industrial platform.

Make UK demands better industrial strategies

According to Make UK, representative of ~20,000 British manufacturers, the UK is at a risk of falling behind on the global stage due to no long term plans for the manufacturing industry. The automotive industry is especially concerned, as there have been repeated failures to secure investments for large-scale electric car batteries. The US is implementing Biden’s investment plan to promote environmentally friendly projects, while France and Germany have introduced comprehensive industrial strategies.

A survey by Make UK found 80% of manufacturers believed the lack of a plan put their firm at a disadvantage. The foundation has strongly advocated for the creation of a royal commission to develop a long-term industrial strategy that can support national businesses. 

PureCyber partners with Manufacturing Wales to reduce cyber crime

Cybersecurity consultancy PureCyber has partnered with Manufacturing Wales to help improve the industry’s response to cybercrime. The manufacturing sector is the most targeted industry for cyberattacks globally, with 24.8% of attacks targeting manufacturing businesses. To help mitigate the risks, PureCyber will work with Manufacturing Wales’ members to ensure their systems and data are secure and offer free cyber health checks. As part of the partnership, PureCyber will advise manufacturers on how to secure their entry systems, production lines, and resilience to prevent cyberattacks and create a cyber-safe environment for manufacturers.