Login Register

Brewing Success – Cambridge manufacturer, 9Barista, secures £11,500 grant to boost performance and keep production in the UK

The ACMI 4.0 (Advanced Capacities in Manufacturing – Industry 4.0) programme has awarded Cambridge based manufacturer, 9Barista, £11,518.80 grant funding towards the purchase of a cobot. The new equipment is expected to make costs of manufacturing their patented stove-top espresso machines as competitive with those in the Far East, meaning 9Barista can keep manufacturing from their premises in Cambridge.

l-r, Rodrigo Alturas (9Barista), William Playford (9Barista), Andrew Flynn (9Barista), Jaz Dorcheh (Smart Manufacturing Alliance), William Thwaites (9Barista).

The grant was awarded after the ACMI 4.0 team completed a 12-hour digital transformation assessment to test 9Barista’s readiness for Industry 4.0. The assessment showed that 9Barista has excellent shopfloor connectivity and integrated systems, but that automation could considerably boost productivity. You can read more about their assessment here >>

The new cobot will allow for single piece flow production with automation. Currently, production is done in large weekly batches. However, this makes poor use of 9Barista’s highly skilled team, leaves stock to accumulate, and doesn’t allow for customisation.

The cobot is expected to bring 9Barista several benefits, including:

  • Development of in-house automation and robotics expertise.
  • More than 50% reduction of work in progress stock
  • Increased sales rates thanks to the ability to customise orders
  • A five-fold increase in production capacity of current factory equipment
  • An 80% reduction in finished goods stock, which will improve fire safety, reduce the risk of theft, obsolescence and accidental damage.
  • Keeping production within the UK, as production cost per unit will be competitive with production in the Far East.

To make the most of the Industry 4.0 equipment, 9Barista will redesign their production sequence, reconfigure the workshop layout, integrate the cobot into production activities, upskill production staff to perform programming, managing and maintaining the cobot.

9Barista anticipates that they will achieve return on investment in just six months by making use of the tax rebate offered by HMRC via the Super Deduction Scheme.

ACMI 4.0 is a £1.2 million ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) business support programme which aims to help SME manufacturers adopt Industry 4.0 technologies effectively, like robotics and automation.

The programme is being delivered by economic development company, Opportunity Peterborough, and the Smart Manufacturing Alliance, a sector network covering Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

This innovation programme includes:

  • 12 hours fully funded expert consultancy: working directly with SME manufacturers to help them identify and adopt the Industry 4.0 technologies that will have the biggest impact on productivity and performance, and ensuring they extract full value.
  • £300,000 capital grants fund*: each eligible business can apply for capital grants from £2,000 – £20,000, supporting capital project costs of £5,000 to £50,000. *(40/60 match funding required).

Read more about the programme here >>

Bob Hart, Programme Director of the Smart Manufacturing Alliance said, “We’re delighted to have helped 9Barista take the next step in their digitalisation. The team were very open to the feedback in the ACMI 4.0 assessment and have a huge amount of enthusiasm for new technologies.

“Industry 4.0 can seem a daunting prospect for SME manufacturers, but our ACMI 4.0 programme helps break down that decision making process. Our team can help a business identify which technologies could make the biggest difference to performance, and what else the business needs to consider, like training and data collection, before installing new technologies.”

Will Playford, CEO of 9Barista, added, “The ACMI 4.0 team gave us some excellent suggestions on how we could improve our workflow and performance, and thanks to this grant, we can really ramp up our production!

“Ever since the ACMI 4.0 assessment we’ve been fired up about making changes to our business. The whole team is very excited about bringing cobots into our operations and the opportunities they’ll have to develop their high-tech manufacturing skills.

“Moving to a single piece flow will help us develop our company culture around process excellence. Our industrial automation will also help us continue to attract ambitious staff who want to develop an exciting career at the forefront of tech.”

To find out more about the programme, visit: www.sma-uk.co.uk/acmi-4-0

 

Notes to Editors

About ACMI 4.0

ACMI 4.0 is receiving up to £1.2 million of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (and in London the intermediate body Greater London Authority) is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.