Ground breaking project will help South East marine manufacturers access world class capital facilities
The development of a shared CNC facility has moved a step closer to reality with a meeting last month of keen companies interested in investing in the project.
UK marine companies are among the most innovative in the world, with the predominance of this activity centred in the South East region. Yet for many small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) it is proving ever more difficult to access sophisticated product development facilities that would help them reduce the time it takes to get from the design stage to the market place.
Access to the sophisticated Computer Numerical Control (CNC) equipment necessary to enable the efficient building of plugs and moulds for yacht and composite production is proving prohibitively expensive.
The development of a shared 5 Axis CNC facility will enable access for small businesses to state of the art facilities, at the times when they need it. This will aid rapid product development and improve cost effectiveness by sharing the capital and overhead costs with other companies.
Marine South East has developed a prospectus for the project and has already held meetings with key companies interested in investing in the machine. Investors have discussed the size and type of machine they would require and the level of investment needed.
Jonathan Williams, Chief Executive of Marine South East, has been overseeing the development of this project: “This is vital in helping smaller companies develop products on a level footing with larger organisations. Although we haven’t yet chosen a location for the site there are a few possibilities in the Solent area.
Look out for the Spring issue of our printed newsletter where we are running a feature on the facility and details of how you could get more involved.
If you would like to find out more logon to http://www.marinesoutheast.co.uk/docs/papers where you can download a copy of the prospectus. Alternatively contact us on +44 (0) 23 8076 6751
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