Laboratory Robotics as a Service - L-RaaS

机器人即服务（L-RaaS）将为公司在利物浦城市地区（LCR）建立制造业务提供令人信服的激励。L-RaaS将通过建立研发客户渠道并提供与下游LCR制造供应链的链接来实现这一目标。L-RaaS将通过使目标公司更容易在逐个项目的基础上访问LCR世界领先的材料创新工厂（MIF）的研发能力，而不是目前占主导地位的大型项目，来建立对本地制造的需求。RaaS将使MIF能够在全球范围内瞄准那些缺乏MIF创始合作伙伴联合利华规模的公司，但仍然依赖于在竞争激烈的市场中通过创新产品实现差异化，这些市场依赖于快速消费品（FCMG）和工业化学品等新型材料配方。这将越来越多地涉及到寻找油基化合物的低碳替代品。由于在同一地区进行生产和研发可以产生显著的工艺协同效应并节省物流成本，因此客户漏斗将增加对本地制造的需求。随着远离全球化，这种驱动力只会越来越大。LCR先进制造业集群已准备好支持这一涌入，并提供来自制造技术中心（MTC）的指导，该中心拥有深入的本地供应链知识。MIF的尖端能力在DIF的机器人和数字专业知识的增强下，可以以世界领先的方式执行最先进的实验开发，L-RaaS将需要一个完整的MIF/DIF能力映射，再加上市场分析和细分，以突出相关的核心实验过程。这将使物联网支持的基于云的服务能够实现全自动的“设计和执行”服务，将高端实验流程与精确的机器人技术相结合，实现完全的可重复性和高速执行。尽管这些设施本身吸引了大量资金，但这只用于资产开发，而不是为潜在客户降低进入门槛，通过行业/学术界伙伴关系获得，如与联合利华建立的伙伴关系，支持最初的公共投资。如果没有这个启动平台将实现的商业概念验证，该项目极不可能能够从市场上吸引风险资本。如果获得资助，该项目将直接为MIF/DIF和LCR带来显著的就业机会、能力和全球声誉增长。

Laboratory-Robotics as a Service (L-RaaS) will provide a compelling incentive for companies to base their manufacturing operations in the Liverpool City Region (LCR). It will do this by building the pipeline of R&D customers and providing a link to downstream LCR manufacturing supply chains.L-RaaS will build demand for local manufacturing by make it easier for target companies to access the R&D capabilities of the LCR's world-beating Materials Innovation Factory (MIF) on a project-by-project basis rather than the large programmes that currently dominate usage.L-RaaS will enable MIF to target companies globally who lack the scale of the MIF founding partner Unilever, but nevertheless rely on differentiation through innovative products in the highly competitive markets reliant on novel material formulation such as Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FCMG) and industrial chemicals. Increasingly, this will involve finding low-carbon alternatives to oil-based compounds.This funnel of clients will increase demand for local manufacturing because of the significant process synergies and logistical cost savings from having a production and R&D based in the same region. With the move away from globalisation, this drive is only increasing. The LCR advanced manufacturing cluster is primed to support this influx, with guidance available from the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) who have intimate local supply chain knowledge.The cutting-edge capabilities of the MIF when enhanced by the DIF's robotic and digital specialisms allows a world-beating way to execute state-of-the-art experimental development, shown to be an order of magnitude faster and more robust than the traditional methods that have provoked a global "reproducibility crisis".L-RaaS will entail a full MIF/DIF capability mapping coupled to a market analysis and segmentation to highlight relevant core experimental processes. This will enable a IoT-enabled cloud-based service to enable a fully-automated call-off "design and execute" service integrating high-end experimental processes with precision robotics that enable full repeatability and high speed execution.Although the facilities themselves have attracted substantial funding, this has been exclusively for asset development rather than faciliating lower barriers to entry for potential clients, accessed through and by industry/academia partnerships such as the one in place with Unilever that underpinned the original public investment. Without this commercial proof of concept that the launchpad will enable, it is highly unlikely that this initiative will be able to attract risk capital from the marketplace.If funded, this project will directly enable significant jobs, capability and global reputational growth for the MIF/DIF and LCR.