Cambridge Precision Ltd has won the E&T Innovation Awards and brings new business, jobs and industry recognition to Cambridgeshire.
Cambridge Precision Ltd (CPL) has been announced by Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) as a winner of E&T magazine’s 2021 Innovation Awards and one of 2021’s top innovators.
Chosen from hundreds of international entries, CPL won the Manufacturing 4.0 award in recognition of their progressive digital manufacturing hub and ongoing programme of development, which has seen the implementation of the first UK multi-axis machining centre, with automated cobotic loading.
CPL were told of their success via a zoom link to a ceremony held at the IET’s offices in London and then this week, Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, visited the company’s manufacturing site in St Neots to hand over the trophy, to a delighted Andrew Barnard, the Chief Engineer on the winning innovation project.
Mayor Dr Johnson encouraged CPL to play a role in developing a strong regional voice for Manufacturing, working with partners in education and industry “CPL epitomises everything which makes Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s economy one of the most dynamic and exciting in the UK and the world. I’m proud that a local company at the cutting edge of manufacturing innovation has been able to compete and win on the global stage.
“This is a company with an exciting present and future, with plans to expand and create more high-skilled, high-value jobs in the region.
“The Combined Authority and Business Board have a strategy to support our region’s advanced manufacturing sector and it was great to see first-hand why CPL is at the very forefront of innovation in its field. It was a real privilege and a delight to be able to hand over a much-deserved trophy to Andrew and the CPL team.”
Nick Raven, Operations Manager at CPL clarified how the company plans to grow over the next year. “We have been delighted with the results of this project, which is revolutionising the way we operate. Our prototype cobot was soon joined by a second and we are now looking at significant investment and the development of an entire unit, to house what is being recognised as a market-leading manufacturing innovation.
Our new unit will be opening in St Neots in 2022, to support increasing demand for complex precision engineered components. We want to grow our workforce by more than twenty staff; skilled engineers, trainees and apprentices, and we believe that this award illustrates the quality, innovation and national significance of our business. We could not be more proud or delighted. It has been a difficult time for all in business and we are pleased to be able to share a little positivity and to encourage others to be upbeat and ambitious as we approach 2022”.
The presentation of this award to CPL was celebrated by the team on site and along with the Mayor, Dr Nik Johnson and key supporters of CPL, Alan Downton, the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority’s Deputy Chief Officer for Business and Skills, Kevan Reade, DIT Export Growth Trade Adviser, East of England, and Nitin Patel, member of the Combined Authority Business Board.
The Awards are managed by the IET’s award-winning monthly magazine and celebrate the most pioneering engineering and technology innovations across 17 sectors, from energy and sustainability to transport and healthcare. IET President, Sir Julian Young explained: “These annual awards celebrate the achievements of the most outstanding innovators across engineering and technology. Our finalists come from a diverse range of companies and academic institutions from across the world, with their innovations tackling major economic and societal challenges”.
