A NEW digital age has dawned at Burnley’s UCLan campus with the launch of a state-of-the-art manufacturing laboratory.

The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) has teamed up with global IT company Cisco to deliver cutting-edge digital technology to manufacturers.

Cisco has invested in the provision of specialist equipment, and expertise, to enhance the industrial networking environment in the world’s first Tele-immersive Digital Manufacturing (TiM) lab.

The lab has been developed by the UCLan Advanced Digital Manufacturing Technology Research Centre at the campus.

It uses digital sensing technologies to acquire manufacturing data, such as process performance, product deviation and energy consumption.

Professor Lik-Kwan Shark, head of the centre, said: “It will provide UCLan’s students with hands-on experience of a full spectrum of digital technologies in an ultra-realistic manufacturing environment.

“We hope it will excite young people about engineering by showing the effortless control of a factory by fingertips without being physically present.”

Ian Kennedy, Cisco Systems senior director, said: “UCLan is the very first and the only university with the very latest industrial networking system from Cisco Systems with full technical support.

“Partnering with UCLan will ensure the unique development of TiM to stay at the very forefront across all digital technology areas.

“It was incredibly important for Cisco Systems and UCLan to make this investment and highlight to the manufacturing sector the huge impact of digital innovation in all aspects and all levels of their operations.”

Secretary of State for Business Vince Cable visited the lab earlier this year as part of a programme of events to highlight the importance of the North West manufacturing industry to the UK economy.