Innovation in Tees Valley · 2018-07-02 · Innovation in Tees Valley | 3 Our first-class infrastructure has already attracted hundreds of companies to the area. Major global players

Innovation in Tees ValleyTurning ideas into reality

2 | Innovation in Tees Valley

Tees Valley. Thinking outside the boxInnovation is a key part of Tees Valley’s success and is central to the future development of our economy. Sitting at the heart of Tees Valley’s growth plans is our vision for Tees Valley to be at the forefront of innovative solutions to global problems.

We have the assets, sites, the skilled workforce and an export-led outlook to pilot and test new ideas and processes. We already have a strong track record of delivering innovation success and Tees Valley’s aim is to build on these successes, playing an even bigger role in delivering innovative solutions for the UK.

An innovative journey Tees Valley is no stranger to innovation. Our history shows us to be at the forefront of ground-breaking historic inventions. Products such as the safety match, Perspex, ammonia, polyethylene and nylon were developed here and, of course, the first public steam railway ran from Stockton to Darlington.

Today it’s no different as we build on past successes, and evolve in to more modern technologies. Tees Valley is now home to the UK’s largest hydrogen plant, the UK’s first biomass power station, a world-leading graphene plant, a unique subsea training facility, the national centre for biologics, one of the largest advanced gasification facilities in the world and, what’s more, it will shortly house the UK’s first offshore wind validation centre and innovative new centres on biomedical research. We are also at the centre of major plans to produce a low-carbon economy, with the progression of an ambitious carbon capture and storage initiative.

In a recent government report, Tees Valley was named the most innovative area in the north, and 7th overall - higher than London.

Where next? Tees Valley Unlimited’s Innovation Leadership Group (ILG) has outlined an Innovation Strategy highlighting our commitment to making Tees Valley the place to go for innovative businesses. The Strategy is supported by key promises to provide direct support to businesses in our main growth areas; the process, advanced manufacturing, healthcare and digital sectors. Support will be available for research and innovation, commercialisation of products and services, collaboration with partners and to enable greater access to specialist technology centres.

Tees Valley’s 2025 vision:• To play a major part in developing, manufacturing

and delivering technologies to support a low carbon UK economy

• To be the go-to location for businesses looking to access bespoke, flexible support and an internationally connected, multi-disciplinary innovation knowledge network

• To provide technologies that can be readily developed into solutions to meet challenges in our four key growth sectors; advanced manufacturing, process, healthcare and digital.

Innovation in Tees Valley | 3

Our first-class infrastructure has already attracted hundreds of companies to the area. Major global players such as SABIC, Huntsman, AMEC Foster Wheeler, Samsung, Mitsubishi and Siemens already operate in the area, taking advantage of what we have to offer. We have an experienced and skilled workforce, supported by leading colleges, universities and specialist technical training providers. Our excellent road, rail, air and sea connections include a deep-water port, international airport, extensive passenger and freight rail network and some of the least congested roads in the country.

But what really makes us stand out is the way we look after our businesses. The Business Investment team at Tees Valley Unlimited have a strong track record of securing investment in to the area. They are on hand to offer advice and support to help potential investors find the right premises, the right funding and the right contacts to thrive in an area where the possibilities are endless.

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Tees Valley has an established infrastructure for major industries that export products and services across the

globe, contributing over £11 billion a year to the national economy. We are a major hub for the process and

chemicals industry and have a reputation for excellence within the manufacturing industries,

with oil and gas, subsea, biologics and automotive being areas of particular

specialism. The healthcare and digital industries also continue to prosper

with the Centre for Process Innovation now housing a £38

million biologics research centre and DigitalCity

providing support for over 200 enterprises

within the digital industries.

Why Tees Valley?


Chemicals and ProcessTees Valley has the largest integrated chemical complex in the UK, the second largest in Europe in terms of manufacturing capacity and is home to 58% of the UK’s chemical industry. More than 1,400 companies are directly involved in the chemicals and process industry and its supply chain in Tees Valley. The sector exports £12 billion of product and contributes £2.2 billion a year to gross value added to the area.

Our chemical industry is concentrated across a relatively small geographical area, and as such enjoys a well-developed infrastructure. The three main sites of Wilton International, Billingham and Seal Sands/North Tees run approximately 12 miles east to west either side of the River Tees and are home to some major international companies, such as Huntsman, INEOS, Lotte, SABIC and Sembcorp.

Applied Graphene Materials is a leading innovator in the manufacture and application of graphene. It provides dispersion and product integration expertise to deliver solutions for a wide range of applications, and production capacity has been expanded to support large volume graphene applications.

Key Innovation Assets...

Wilton CentreThe Innovation Accelerator at Wilton Centre is dedicated to nurturing innovative businesses within the science, technology, engineering and life sciences sectors, combining industry know how and leading edge facilities to support new and established companies in the North East.

This cutting edge facility comprises a 1000m² fully integrated technology incubator and the Innovation Accelerator. It is able to offer pilot plants, specialist laboratories and office space to enable fledgling companies to develop new products and processes. Materials Processing

InstituteMaterials Processing Institute (MPI) is an Open-Access Technology Centre serving organisations which work with materials, materials processing or energy. It offers world class expertise, high quality equipment and laboratory facilities and excels in materials and process innovation.

MPI’s unique pilot facilities for the melting and casting of metals ranges in capacity from 100g to 7 tonnes and includes options for vacuum treatment and ingot casting, together with full analytical support.


SABIC Gas Cracker ConversionA major investment in Wilton’s ‘Cracker’ by chemical company SABIC is an important step for the entire UK chemical industry. The project, which will convert the world-scale plant to take cheaper shale gas from the US, is the first step towards securing a long-term supply of raw materials for the process sector.

SABIC is investing a significant sum to convert its world-class Olefins 6 plant, which makes the basic chemical building blocks for everyday household goods used across the world.

It will make the Cracker one of the most competitive in Europe. The work to convert the 223-acre plant will also prepare it to take raw materials from future new sources, including UK shale gas.

SABIC’s project, which includes a specially-designed cryogenic tank at its North Tees site as part of an import terminal, attracted a £9.1m grant from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund.

Epigem are a hi-tech micro-engineering company based in Redcar and Cleveland. They offer specialist expertise in the precision engineering of polymer materials. Manufacturing their own range of speciality film products and microfluid devices, they offer innovative services from R&D to product manufacture from their purpose-built facility at Kirkleatham Business Park.

They have recently made significant progress on the CoMMiTMenT (Combined Molecular Microscopy for Therapy and Personalised Medication in Rare Anaemia Treatments) project, including mimicking of the spleen. The project’s clinical partners are now testing devices, created by Epigem, which are based on their microfluid abilities. These work by identifying anaemic red blood cells and comparing them with healthy samples, in an assay based on the cells’ response to being addressed chemically and by mechanical deformation.

These innovative developments could make major improvements in the diagnoses and treatment of rare anaemias, and which also have wide potential in blood transfusion and to identify other, as yet undiscovered, red blood cell disorders.

Ground-breaking Carbon Capture and Storage initiativeLed by Teesside Collective, a cluster of leading industries including Lotte Chemicals, BOC, Growhow and more recently Sembcorp, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a ground-breaking initiative with a vision to establish Tees Valley as the go-to location for future clean industrial development by creating Europe’s first CCS equipped industrial zone.

CCS is a proven technology that can capture, transport and permanently store up to 90% of the CO2 emissions produced by industrial facilities, preventing them from entering the atmosphere. In its technically viable, end-to-end blueprint for a shared CCS network, Teesside Collective sets out the economic and environmental benefits the project could bring to Tees Valley and the wider UK.

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Advanced Manufacturing Tees Valley is at the forefront of engineering and manufacturing developments thanks to its rich heritage and tradition in this sector. With several hundred years of manufacturing and engineering excellence, the foundations are laid for a successful and thriving industry.

Tees Valley is home to a large, successful cluster of advanced manufacturing and engineering businesses operating across all industries, from aerospace and automotive to renewable energy, oil and gas and offshore wind.

The Centre for Subsea Technology Awareness, Training and Education is a unique collaboration between industry and education and the first subsea training centre of its kind

C-STATE addresses the growing skills gap in the subsea engineering and service sectors by providing an unrivalled platform for specialist training and education. From a purpose built centre, C-STATE offers an extensive range of subsea courses and apprenticeships as well as industry recognised and accredited training.


The University is home to five research institutes, with an excellent track record in translating research into business benefit, particularly in digital, manufacturing, construction and advanced project planning. It owes its strong reputation for working with business to an innovative, integrated approach, a readiness to conduct interdisciplinary research, and an expert understanding of business needs.

The Technology Futures Institute is an international leader in key areas of research and innovation in engineering sustainability, manufacturing and process engineering, analytical instrumentation, measurement and control engineering. Research in the Digital Futures Institute includes Artificial Intelligence (AI), Interactive Systems and Formal Methods.

Through The Forge, Teesside University’s “front door” for business, companies have ready access to its full range of applied research, and to professional account management throughout the working relationship. Teesside has a national reputation for the quality of its knowledge transfer work with business, delivering bespoke solutions, developed by talented postgraduates and academic experts working in the business environment, that enable strategic change and growth in ambitious, innovating companies.

The Welding InstituteThe Welding Institute (TWI) is one of the world’s most respected research and technology organisations, with industry-leading capabilities in a number of areas.

Specialising in joining techniques and technologies, structural integrity and material properties, TWI has been providing advice, information and engineering services to industry for almost 70 years.

TWI also operates a new £6 million development at Teesside Advanced Manufacturing Park (TAMP) which includes a research and validation centre for offshore wind, and is the first centre of its kind in the UK.

Innovating all over the world...Tees Valley companies helped build Canary Wharf and Wembley’s famous arch. From the Hong Kong Convention Centre, to the New World Trade Centre in New York, Tees Valley companies have been involved in shaping our world.

The new World Trade Centre (WTC One)

www.c-state.com


Stockton-based Nifco is a global manufacturer of automotive plastic components. The business produces parts that are used in the engines, interiors and exteriors of cars made by Nissan, Ford, Toyota, Jaguar Land Rover, Honda and Vauxhall Opel. The business operates from a state-of-the-art facility in Eaglescliffe and this now includes a new R&D centre with high-spec 3D printer. In line with its strategic growth plans, the company intends to continue growing in the coming years

Nifco recently invested £750,000 in a dynamometer which sits within the R&D centre and is a complex machine that tests the capabilities of the parts produced by Nifco. This investment will allow the business to work even more successfully with clients to help them make the efficiency gains needed to improve the performance of their vehicles.

Subsea Innovation is one of the world’s leading subsea equipment suppliers, and has recently completed the design and manufacture of a unique Multi-Mattress Deployment System (MDS3) for Offshore Marine Management Limited (OMM).

OMM is a leading global service provider specialising in the delivery of subsea solutions for the offshore energy, grid and telecommunications industries, and has worked with Subsea Innovation to produce this innovative tool which will substantially reduce project costs and improve HSE standards offshore. Its technology will deliver significant time savings, consequently driving down associated vessel, equipment and personnel costs as well as removing the need for either divers or a work class ROV to assist deployment.

The MDS³ was designed and manufactured at Subsea Innovation’s headquarters in Darlington

before going through extensive wet testing at PD Ports facility at

Hartlepool and finally sea trials.

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Healthcare The healthcare industry is one of the key sectors for economic growth within Tees Valley. The region is committed to the growth and development of the sector and is becoming one of the top places in the world to do science-based business.

Innovative university research, NHS facilities and industry are coming together with the commitment, drive and enthusiasm needed to develop a growing biocluster that has the key ingredients for a world-class centre of excellence.

The healthcare industry in Tees Valley has access to an extensive range of cutting-edge specialist facilities, research networks and innovative organisations that connect academic expertise with commercial resources. We have a thriving healthcare economy with major global players such as FUJIFILM Diosynth, and innovative SMEs such as Hart Biologicals already taking advantage of what the area has to offer.

The South Tees Institute of Learning, Research and Innovation is based at The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough and has a long history of innovation. An innovation Scout Scheme has been set up and two scouts have been appointed to support staff and harvest innovative ideas to help resolve problems. An Innovation Hub, located at the facility, has also been set up and allows small groups to meet and discuss ideas and progress inventions.

With plans to develop the innovation culture, the strategic intent is to increase the range and number of products and services that are commercialised and licensed by South Tees NHS Foundation Trust. The development of an internal design consultancy based in the Medical Physics Department at James Cook, will aid this intent. Additionally, LRI aim to develop their strategic partnerships with industry and academia and further develop the innovation hub.


Centre for Process InnovationPart of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, CPI is a technology innovation centre that uses applied knowledge in science and engineering to enable clients to develop, prove, prototype and scale up the next generation of products and processes.

Using state of the art facilities and technical expertise, CPI helps to support innovations in the manufacture of biologics and biotechnology, enabling its clients to develop products and prove processes with minimal risk. The £38 million National Biologics Manufacturing Centre opened in Darlington in 2015 and will support the growth of the UK biologics industry.

The Biotherapeutics Factory of the Future initiative is part of a £50 million CPI project to develop process technologies and deliver personalised medicines via conventional and synthetic biology.

Fuse (the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health) is a virtual centre operating across five universities in the North East, including Teesside and Durham. It is one of only five Public Health Research Centres of Excellence in the UK with the aim to deliver world-class public health research.

The focus of Fuse is about working with policy makers and practitioners, enabling research findings to be understood and applied to public health issues, for example, diet and exercise, and socio-economic inequalities.


FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies is a world leading contract manufacturing organisation. Their recently opened mammalian cell culture cGMP manufacturing facility at their site in Billingham is the first of its kind in the UK, being designed with input from regulatory authorities and key

customers, and it is purpose-built to utilise the latest single-use technologies.

The facility provides customers with a full product life-cycle offering for mammalian cell culture

biopharmaceuticals and it complements FUJIFILM’s offering in microbial-based

biologics. Initially commissioned with 200L and 1000L bioreactors, the facility has been designed for rapid further expansion to meet customer demand with the addition of a 2000L reactor. This strategic investment was strongly supported and enabled by Tees Valley Unlimited who continue to enjoy a valuable and close working relationship with FUJIFILM.

Hart Biologicals, based on Queens Meadow Business Park in Hartlepool, specialises in manufacturing reagents which are used to investigate the blood clotting function in patients taking blood-thinning drugs such as warfarin.

Hart Biologicals have recently opened a £500,000 state-of-the-art research and development facility adjacent to its main building. The new facility was made possible by close collaboration with Tees Valley Unlimited and Hartlepool Borough Council after the company secured funding from the Regional Growth Fund. The expansion allows for 13 new positions to be created over the next two and a half years, with roles to be filled at various levels, including R&D scientists.

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DigitalTees Valley is fast becoming one of the most vibrant digital hubs in the UK with a successful and self-sustaining digital media, digital technology and creative super cluster developing a worldwide reputation for creativity, imagination and inspirational vision.

The Boho Zone is at the digital, creative and business heart of Tees Valley. It provides business space for new digital and creative companies to grow, network and do business. Situated in the heart of Middlesbrough, it is a genuine creative hub where new and established businesses work together.

Tees Valley is also home to the some brand new purpose-built facilities designed with innovative and ambitious technology companies in mind. Buildings like Fusion Hive in Stockton, The Palace Hub in Redcar and Business Central in Darlington provide the ideal environment and facilities to accommodate growing technology companies, with unrivalled access to shared expertise and support networks.


DigitalCity is the driver for Tees Valley’s digital sector, and for the application of digital technologies in the key growth sectors of health, process and advanced manufacturing. This award-winning initiative, based on a longstanding public-private partnership, provides professional support to a thriving digital cluster, including a stream of innovative start-up and spin-out companies delivering new technology products and services for business.

Led by Teesside University and directly connected to the academic knowledge base, DigitalCity delivers a specialist package of services tailored to the needs of high-growth companies, designed to grow our digital cluster and embed digital know-how and skills in growth sectors for improved productivity and competitiveness. Together with an offer of first-class serviced digital and technology business centres, including the Boho Zone in Middlesbrough and Fusion Hive in Stockton, this unique provision makes Tees Valley the first-choice location for the digital industry.

Digital Catapult Centre North East and Tees ValleyDigital Catapult Centre North East & Tees Valley is a local centre that aims to help innovators bring digital services and products to market. It is an exciting new space for innovators, businesses and academia to showcase their products and connect and collaborate

It will focus specifically on projects around the controlled delivery and security of data and will help businesses from a wide range of sectors to understand and exploit the value of data to increase information sharing amongst businesses and organisations, opening up new business models and revenue streams. In the long run this will result in businesses making efficiencies, generating value and developing innovations from their data, supporting the longevity and growth of the North East’s software sector and cementing the region as an internationally renowned base for data sharing innovation.

Fusion Hive in Stockton-on-Tees.


Spearhead Interactive are award winning industry leaders in the development of corporate 3D solutions and experiences. Based in Middlesbrough, they are working with another Tees Valley based company, Exwold, to develop innovative solutions designed to have an impact on business productivity and efficiency.

The combination of high level expertise provided by Hartlepool based Exwold, and the latest technologies from Spearhead Interactive, has led to the development of a fully interactive process flow visualisation, created to demonstrate the operating procedure for chemical production to a recent client.

Spearhead Interactive converted traditional 2D process flow diagrams provided by Exwold into a 3D model and located this within a replica of the facility where the production is due to take place. Full controls have been added to move and look around freely, switch between alternative diagrams, add process information panels and highlight or isolate specific areas to aid in conversations.

This is thought to be the world’s first 3D flow mapping tool for the process industry and a technology that will offer significant benefits to the business.

Datum360 is a leading information management company specialising in providing innovation solutions for the oil and gas and process industries. They have been operating for seven years from their offices in Middlesbrough and have gone from strength to strength with worldwide partners and offices now in Aberdeen, Houston and Kuala Lumpur.

Digital agency Visualsoft are based in Stockton and offer award winning website design that focuses on innovative feature development. They now have over 1000 clients nationwide and have gone to strength to strength with four offices across the UK and over 200 staff.

With their roots firmly planted in Tees Valley, Visualsoft’s success is demonstrated by their new headquarters, Visualsoft House, a 35,000 sq ft state-of-the-art building on Teesdale Business Park. This relocation allows room to further expand their growing team and to continue to deliver brilliant innovative solutions to their clients.

Visualsoft have recently been ranked in the top 500 of the Technology Fast 500 EMEA 2015, published by Deloitte, making them one of the fastest growing technology companies in the world.

Datum 15pt

Datum 10pt

Spotting a gap in the market, Datum360 developed a suite of robust Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions that provides accurate and reliable information, which as a result, has helped their clients to make significant cost reductions and increase their operational efficiencies. And their capabilities have very much been proven through securing major contracts including working with four of the six

Super Major oil and gas companies with clients such as GDF Suez (now Engie) and Maersk Oil.

Now employing over 20 staff and securing partnerships with numerous global companies in sectors who will deploy their solutions on a localised level, Datum360 has plans to grow even further, building on their reputation as a trusted and high performing partner.

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Tees Valley Unlimited Cavendish House Stockton-on-Tees

Tees Valley, TS17 6QYT: 01642 524400

Email: [email protected]

www.teesvalleyunlimited.gov.uk Photographs used are copyright ©2016 Tees Valley Unlimited, and its licensors. Images used in the document are by kind permission from CPI © Centre for Process Innovation Ltd (www.uk-cpi.com). All Rights Reserved.

Documents

Innovation in Tees Valley · 2018-07-02 · Innovation in Tees Valley | 3 Our first-class infrastructure has already attracted hundreds of companies to the area. Major global players