Overview

“Advanced manufacturing” can sound complicated, but think of it like this – anything which is made – whether it’s a car,  a phone, a computer keyboard, a pair of glasses, a chair, a watch, literally anything, needs certain processes to happen.

Research needs to determine what needs to be produced, how, when and at what cost, what purpose it serves, whether there are any legal or environmental considerations, and then the skills and facilities need to be made available, the time and resources agreed, the product designed, tested, approved and finally a system set up to bring all these things together in a production process of some kind, then it needs to be made available to the consumer and paid for.

In today’s world manufacturers are working to tight deadlines, and products need to meet strict safety standards and be of consistent high quality, so there are more and more “advanced” processes involved -things like Artificial Intelligence, “smart” systems, robotics, computer controlled processing, and other systems which reduce costs and maximise productivity and quality.

Businesses who use these systems are loosely bundled together as the “advanced manufacturing” sector– businesses which essentially take some kind of raw material in at one end and, via complex modern processes, produce something else at the other.

Advanced manufacturing is defined by Wikipedia as “the use of innovative technology to improve products or processes, with the relevant technology being described as “advanced,” “innovative,” or “cutting edge.” Advanced manufacturing industries increasingly integrate new innovative technologies in both products and processes.

The kinds of businesses we would consider to be “advanced manufacturing tend to be in areas such as:

• Pharmaceuticals
• Chemicals and bio-science products, inc medicines
• Food and drink
• Automotive, cycling, scooters, drones etc
• Electronic printing and publishing
• Metal goods
• Manufactured fuels
• Non- metallic products – e.g. 3D printing
• Mechanical engineering
• Manufacturing general
• Rubber and plastics
• Electrical engineering and instruments
• Wood and paper processing
• Other transport equipment  (inc. marine engineering sector, rail)
• Textiles, clothing and leather 
• Electronics and battery technology
• Basic metal processing

Advanced manufacturing makes a vital contribution to the local and national economy, providing over 47,000 jobs and over £4.3bn of GVA to the Liverpool City Region economy, and cars, ships, chemicals and other goods are part of the reason for our industrial success.

While the range and scale of our manufacturing output isn’t as great as it was in the Industrial Revolution, we now have a new revolution, the Technological Revolution, which is allowing us to innovate and evolve at an unprecedented rate.

But we’re not only making things; we’re making them better, greener, safer and more efficiently. The world doesn’t stay still, and as technology and materials science develops so too do the opportunities to develop better and better processes to supply innovative products, and the need for high quality people who can support this evolution with their skills and creativity.

For example, Liverpool has got the largest super-computing facility for industrial applications in Britain, and the highest concentration of robotics for materials science in the world.

And we’ve got some brand new and exciting developments in our Region, including Supercomputing; Robotics; Virtual Reality; Internet of Things; Sensors; Big Data and Big Science.

Quantum computing is on the horizon as well as other “disruptive” technologies which will radically change the way we work, play and live our lives, so this will be an exciting sector to build a career, at the cutting edge of new developments.

The continued and future success of businesses depend upon the sector’s ability to innovate and deliver world-class performance, which in turn requires a knowledgeable and highly-skilled workforce having the up-to-date skills required to meet new challenges and solve problems effectively.

It’s obvious that change is coming, and the rapid changes brought by Brexit and Covid-19 in the last few years have taught us how much and how quickly things need to adapt to meet new challenges, but the Liverpool City Region is able to adapt to new innovations, opportunities, threats, technology, environmental pressures, and infrastructure to be cost effective, agile and to continue to be a global example of success.

By further sharing knowledge and experience, developing new models and processes, the Region can further strengthen its already advanced industry, so that as the Fourth Industrial Revolution really gets established, driven by digital technology and innovations, we will see the Liverpool City Region leading the charge.

The Advanced Manufacturing sector provides a huge number of exciting jobs on the cutting-edge of new developments in areas such as design, materials development, ICT advances, manufacturing process technology, automation, Artificial Intelligence and robotics, and much more – and it also offers some excellent pathways for people to get started in the sector, including apprenticeships, T-Levels, Traineeships and other systems.

If you’re interested in finding out more about jobs in this sector, there is plenty more information and some useful links in this site.

Quick Facts

National Figures

• Manufacturing Sector produces £192 billion of output p.a
• Has average salary of £33,592 -13% higher than the rest of the economy
• 2.7 million employees
• Manufacturing produces 44% of our global exports -worth over £273 billion to the UK economy

In the north west: (Liverpool City Region)

• 9% of people in the Liverpool City Region work in this sector
• Produces £28.5 bn of products annually
• 350, 000 employees
• Produces 16% of our regional economic output
• Wages are 130% of the regional average

Helpful Links