Tata Steel opened the doors on its new UK research centre on Wednesday 28th of October on the University of Warwick’s Science Park.

Engineers and researchers will be working on new steel coatings, including graphene, at the company’s new advanced coatings research laboratories. The opening marks the first phase of Tata Steel’s relocation of its UK R&D work to the University of Warwick campus.

 

Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, Chairman of WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group) at the University of Warwick , and Hans Fischer, Chief Technical Officer of Tata Steel’s European operation, opened the new centre.

Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya said:

“We are delighted to welcome Tata Steel here to the University of Warwick. Advanced steels research is crucial for the nation, and for manufacturing, this move shows Tata Steel’s long term commitment to research and development within the UK.”

Hans Fischer said:

“This new facility It demonstrates our determination to develop innovative products which help our customers become more competitive. . We are investing in research to develop new kinds of steel that will help transform sectors like transport and energy. I’m also delighted to be strengthening our ties with UK academia that are already well rooted here at Warwick, as well as at Cambridge, Sheffield and Swansea universities and Imperial College, London.”

Debashish Bhattacharjee, Tata Steel’s Group Director R&D, said:

"Opening this new R&D centre at the University of Warwick is a major step towards consolidating and strengthening our R&D in the UK through collaboration in a single location with a knowledge centre and with some of our customers. This will help us accelerate our open innovation activities and our processes to manage how we create new ideas and translate them into value addition to our customers."

The new centre will ultimately have a combination of metallurgists, product engineers, data scientists, researchers and technicians, who will carry out a full research programme as part of Tata Steel’s global R&D operations.

In the next phase further laboratory facilities will be built at the university, ultimately leading to the establishing of a hub for advanced steel research which will also accommodate Tata Steel’s three professorial chairs in steel research at Warwick, together with their academic research teams and a comprehensive array of research equipment.

Surface Engineering Department Manager John Collingham, who is one of the first to move into the new building, said: “The university campus is a dynamic and inspiring place to work, with many new buildings under construction, including the National Automotive Innovation Centre and the Advanced Steel Research Centre. Our new building and our team of highly motivated and enthusiastic researchers will be the catalyst for a new generation of innovation.”

Tata Steel is Europe's second largest steel producer, with steelmaking in the UK and Netherlands, and manufacturing plants across Europe. The company supplies high-quality steel products to the most demanding markets, including construction, automotive, packaging, rail, lifting & excavating, energy and aerospace. Tata Steel works with customers to develop new steel products that give them a competitive edge. The combined Tata Steel group is one of the world’s largest steel producers, with a steel capacity of more than 28 million tonnes and 80,000 employees across five continents.

For further information please call:

Bob Jones, Tata Steel on +44 (0)207 717 4532 or email bob.jones@tatasteel.com

Lisa Barwick, Head of Marketing and Communications, WMG, University of Warwick Tel: 024 76 524721 or 07824 540845 L.Barwick@warwick.ac.uk

Peter Dunn, Director of Press and Policy,
University of Warwick, Tel UK: 024 76523708 office 07767 655860 mobile
Tel Overseas: +44 (0)24 76523708 office +44 (0)7767 655860 mobile/cell
Email: p.j.dunn@warwick.ac.uk

About Tata Steel’s European operations - Tata Steel is Europe's second largest steel producer, with steelmaking in the UK and Netherlands, and manufacturing plants across Europe. The company supplies high-quality steel products to the most demanding markets, including construction, automotive, packaging, rail, lifting & excavating, energy and aerospace. Tata Steel works with customers to develop new steel products that give them a competitive edge. The combined Tata Steel group is one of the world’s largest steel producers, with a steel capacity of more than 28 million tonnes and 80,000 employees across five continents.

PR500 PJD 29th October 2015