Advanced Manufacturing & Precision Engineering

A new full-sized replica of Henry Bell’s Comet has been unveiled in Port Glasgow, celebrating the pioneering steamship that helped launch the Clyde’s world-famous shipbuilding industry. The landmark recognises Scotland’s engineering heritage and the vessel that demonstrated the commercial potential of steam-powered transport more than 200 years ago.

A collaborative project led by the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland has demonstrated how private 5G networks could support the next generation of smart manufacturing. By testing the technology in a realistic factory environment, the project provides manufacturers with practical evidence of how secure, high-capacity connectivity could support future operations.

Engineers at Diodes Incorporated in Greenock are working with the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland to modernise semiconductor manufacturing through advanced data science. The collaboration is improving production efficiency, accelerating decision-making and supporting Scotland’s wider ambitions in semiconductor innovation, AI-enabled manufacturing and industrial digital transformation.