Sheffield University's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre has been hailed as "an excellent example of how collaboration between business and academia can benefit all."

The praise comes from the manufacturers' organisation, the EEF, in a new report, Manufacturing Britain's Future, published as part of its 'Make it Britain' campaign for a stronger UK manufacturing base.

In his foreword to the report, EEF chief executive Terry Scuoler says the fourth industrial revolution has arrived and "has the potential to change British manufacturing beyond all recognition."

Mr Scuoler continues: "We can no longer afford to be short term in our thinking. A visionary future requires a visionary approach.

"We have to think in terms of our requirements to 2050 and beyond."

With that in mind, the section of the report detailing the AMRC's achievements focuses on its Factory 2050 development, taking shape on Sheffield Business Park.

"Not content with addressing today's manufacturing challenges, the AMRC is building a new Factory of the Future, factory 2050, which is designed to be the most advanced factory in the world," says the report.

"It will be possible to quickly and easily reconfigure the layout and the machinery to meet changing demand as the drive for customised products increases."

The report says AMRC research "pays dividends for business," highlighting work that the AMRC has done with companies ranging from Rolls-Royce to smaller, innovative companies like Performance Engineered Solutions and Technicut Ltd.

"Through commissioned projects companies can use the facilities and expertise at the AMRC to try out new innovations or resolve production problems.

"They can undertake this research without having to change their day to day factory operations and therefore benefit from fewer risks and significantly lower costs," adds the EEF report.

AMRC executive dean, Professor Keith Ridgway CBE, said: "We are proud to receive such a ringing endorsement from the UK's leading manufacturers' organisation.

"Terry Scuoler is right to say the UK cannot afford short term thinking and needs a visionary approach. Factory 2050 and the work the AMRC Training Centre is doing to bridge the engineering skills gap are a key part of that forward looking approach."