Manufacturing Systems
Manufacturing Systems: Main interests here are modular manufacturing, process improvement strategies and maintenance & operations management. Research expertise within the manufacturing systems area has been built up at Sunderland over the past five years largely through a range of projects funded through the Engineering Fellows programme and the GRASP project. This has, in turn, led to new opportunities to exploit these approaches in other sectors. One example is a research project looking at the use of energy efficient systems in the refrigeration industries (DEFRA £155k).
A particular focus of the research efforts in manufacturing systems has been on applications in the small/medium enterprise (SME) sector, where new approaches have proved to be successful. Joint studies with the advanced maintenance staff have shown how maintenance systems can be combined with a manufacturing systems approach to good effect. This theme is being further developed through an EPSRC Industrial CASE award (£80k).
Finally, ESF research funding was secured to conduct the SPEKs project (£139k), aimed at creating value through change in regional industry's approach to manufacturing systems management.
Within this area
