Advanced manufacturing
Arup provides solutions for manufacturing plants, industrial processes, distribution centres and logistics, as well as specialised services including seismic design, fire engineering and sustainability consulting.
Arup provides solutions for manufacturing plants, industrial processes, distribution centres and logistics, as well as specialised services including seismic design, fire engineering and sustainability consulting.
Manufacturing in 2050 will look very different from today and will be virtually unrecognisable from that of 30 years ago. A broad range of complex and interconnected factors are driving a major transformation in the sector.
The industry is working to become more sustainable, decarbonise and transform to a Circular Economy model while new technologies and Artificial Intelligence are modifying the profile of the workforce, changing relationships across the supply chain, manufacturing process, and customers.
Automotive facilities
Factories increasingly need to be significantly more responsive to rapidly changing market dynamics and operational environments in the future, adapting physically to supply chain disruptions and variations, new product lines, machinery and equipment.
Automotive facilities typically set up to maximise economy of scale for a limited range of vehicle models are now adapting to the smart factory model where equipment is flexible and readily adapted to manufacture multiple models within the same factory.
Food and drink and consumer goods
Manufacturing processes, especially within the food and drink sector, are dominated by the need for rapid response in terms of production and product development, coupled with the desire for lean production to minimise costs.
Working with breweries, distilleries & wineries
As part of Molson Coors’ investment to modernise Britain’s Biggest Brewery, Arup provided strategic advice and project management services. Our site masterplan enabled the business to improve efficiency by selling land, create a smaller site footprint and increase beer production capacity.
Working with Carlsberg, Arup successfully relocated the Holsten brewery in Hamburg to a new greenfield site - a move which provided an opportunity to improve process efficiency and drive down operational costs - whilst allowing the brewery to remain close to its historic routes and save local jobs. The new facility will produce over 400,000 litres of beer per day, which will be packaged into 1 million beer bottles and 2000 kegs - which can be stored in a warehouse capable of housing 18,000 pallets of finished good.
Find out more about our work with CarlsbergBy recognising the value that can come from coherent, well-structured supply chains and processes, our consultants focus on working with you to find sustainable solutions. The benefits include operations that meet economic, environmental and social objectives; reduced operational and project risk and developments that deliver their operational requirements.
Over the last decade, we have helped our clients achieve revenue growth, reduce production line unit costs, improve speed to market and exploit the opportunities presented by operating in or competing with lower cost regions and markets.
Clarks US logistics centre handles 50m pairs of shoes annually. We were hired to advise on increasing capacity, focusing on the material handling system and the building design and construction. As well as design, we also provided project management, commissioning and scheduling services.
In Mexico, our team worked with Proctor & Gamble's Planta Milenio - the first fully sustainable manufacturing facility in Latin America. Our integration of a flexible infrastructure enables the facility and the manufacturing process to adjust to newer technologies and production strategies. At the same time, it was important to develop an improved user experience for staff without compromising funtional capabilities.
Aerospace
Arup have been involved with a number of high profile aerospace projects where we have assisted clients achieve and exceed expectations to meet their immediate and future requirements. Within aerospace, manufacturing processes are commonly of a higher complexity and lower volume, requiring high quality sustainable environments. The outcomes have led to low energy facilities with reduced operational costs as a result of integrated process and building elements. Other benefits from our advisory services have included operational needs, process material logistics and delivering rapid responses to highly technical issues.
We worked with Airbus to maximise capacity at its Bristol plant
Working with Airbus
Working with AMRC Cymru, we undertook the design mission to enable the Airbus 'Wing of Tomorrow' programme, focused on designing aircraft wings using advanced metallic or composite materials. A flexible floor plate was incorporated utilising a grid of flexible fixing points to replicate a range of manufacturing cells from the Airbus production facility.
At Airbus' Bristol plant, we advised on how to re-organise the production processs and to improve the scheduling of stringers to maximise capacity and match customer requirements for 'wing sets' without large stock buffers. The result was the creation of a workable expansion plan highlighting the developmental steps required as production volume increased.
Discover how our team can help
You can access our science and industry expertise through regional consultants around the world. Wherever you’re based, we can help you look beyond your sector to explore new sources of inspiration and identify opportunities for growth.
