We enabled NiTech Solutions to scale up its innovative flexible manufacturing technology in a new application, allowing it to be deployed into industrial use by Croda. In addition, the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Manufacturing joined the consortium to provide expertise in analysing the business model for the full-scale commercial adoption of these flexible manufacturing techniques.

A successful and competitive chemicals industry must be flexible and adaptable. By working effectively together, the project team enabled the integration of novel manufacturing technology within existing manufacturing facilities, thereby helping Croda to realise a significant capacity increase without impacting product quality or needing significant infrastructure investment. This success helps position the UK as a global leader in next-generation processes and ensures it remains a competitive place for manufacturing.

Compared with traditional batch production, continuous manufacturing approaches like COBR are much better news for the planet. They use less energy – leading to reduced greenhouse gas emissions – and run more efficiently thanks to improved chemical conversion, and heat and mass transfer. Better yields and reduced production of byproducts also reduce how much raw materials are needed. We expect to unlock more sustainability benefits as the technology is developed and adopted.

We are now further working with NiTech and other industrial partners to scale up continuous flow-chemistry manufacturing processes to many other products, such as batteries and nanoparticles. This breadth of capability will help boost UK innovation across the chemicals sector.