Over 50 alumni attended our third Manufacturing, Materials and Design Alumni Day on 19 May 2015.

Delegates enjoyed a full programme of talks, learning, Q&As and networking opportunities at this specialist event, which focused on Cranfield’s expert capabilities in these areas.

Following tours of our industrial-scale manufacturing facilities including our welding, robotics, ultra-precision and surface engineering laboratories, alumni enjoyed networking with fellow alumni, guests, faculty and staff over lunch.

Cranfield’s Head of Manufacturing, Raj Roy, then officially opened the event by introducing the speakers for the first two lectures of the day. Talking through the development of their aircraft products over a 50-year period was Andrew Schofield, Head of Manufacturing and Materials from BAE Systems. It was fascinating to see how improvements in manufacturing technology from the 1979 Tornado up to the F35 in 2015 are leading toward a future of increased automation, robotics, sensors, and smart materials.

Next to take the floor was Cranfield alumnus Dr Alexandros Skandalakis, from Philip Morris. His talk encouraged delegates to think about manufacturing from a customer perspective, pointing out that focusing on both people and technology is the key to success in manufacturing.

In the afternoon, the winner of the National Apprenticeship Competition was announced. Many congratulations to the worthy winners Global Closure Systems . The theme was Manufacturing on the Moon. Apprentices in engineering and manufacturing technologies from all years were invited to work in teams from their institution and build models to demonstrate their innovative ideas for manufacturing on the Moon. A team of national judges selected the winner. The second prize went to Culham Fusion Energy, with third prize being awarded to the MoD.

We were then delighted to welcome Andrew Palmer, CEO of Aston Martin, for our keynote lecture on the luxury automotive sector. Andy delivered his talk to a diverse audience of students, alumni, faculty, staff and guests in our Auditorium in the Vincent Building. He gave an inspiring overview on ‘Responding to Changing Technology Needs in the Luxury Automotive Sector’ - which looked at the growth of the global luxury automotive market and how the manufacturing of new technology is inspiring their new luxury models.

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