In 2012, CEME established the High-Speed Sustainable Manufacturing Institute (HSSMI): a brand new manufacturing innovation institute that would focus on supporting UK manufacturers with cutting-edge products and services to improve efficiency, productivity and sustainability.
This ambitious project required the vision of CEME, in collaboration with manufacturers and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Securing grants is rarely easy and always requires leadership and risk taking. CEME’s vision was to create an institution that would become self-sustaining in three years, and we successfully secured £5M to launch the project.
As well as providing HSSMI with workspace in an inspiring environment and the extensive IT infrastructure and support it needed, we offered the company a highly focused and personal level of support, including mentoring from CEME executives, strong governance and financial management, access to regional and national customers, and collaboration projects with leading higher education institutes such as UCL and Loughborough Universities.
HSSMI grew from a 1 to 30 headcount over three years achieving sustainability as a stand-alone business at the end of its grant, a remarkable achievement.