Made Smarter Smart Factory Innovation Hub
CPI Smart Factory Innovation Hub Testbed
Testbeds for agile manufacturing
It’s never been more important for manufacturers to be agile and resilient to changes in the world.
CPI are proud to host two testbeds as part of the Smart Factory Innovation Hub initiative, delivered by the High Value Manufacturing Catapult and Made Smarter.
Trial new digital solutions and approaches
Our Testbeds allow manufacturers and technology providers to trial new digital solutions and approaches, while receiving expert support from our industry-focused engineers and researchers.
Manufacturers
Testbeds for Manufacturers
- An environment to innovate, develop and de-risk rapidly configurable projects and industrial digital technologies before investing within your own businesses.
- An opportunity to experience new, integrated technology solutions on real-industry use cases and with expert CPI support.
Technology providers
Testbeds for Technology providers
- ‘Plug and play’ space to test, develop and showcase new technology solutions
- Real industry example and source feedback to improve your technology offering for the sector.

Digital innovation hub for Pharmaceutical Industry
Biopharmaceutical test bed will integrate advanced digital technologies with the biopharmaceutical processes (upstream and downstream) to achieve in-stream process and quality control and regulatory compliance demanded for production of pharmaceutical products.
PAT enabled bioreactors can act as flexible facilities for the integration and demonstration of process analytical technologies and model predictive controllers across a range of products and processes to enable productivity gains.
Demonstrators will include:
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Integration of the Segflow autosampler, Microsaic mass spec, 10L mammalian bioreactor, PharmaMV software and a feed pump to automate cell culture sampling, sample analysis and data transfer between equipment.
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Development of a continuous feeding strategy.
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Improved understanding of the culture environment and the impact of additional control over process parameters.
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The data generated will be used to enable predictive model-based control using self-learning algorithms (Advanced Process Control-APC).
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PAT enabled bioreactors act as flexible facilities for the integration and demonstration of process analytical technologies and model predictive controllers across a range of products and processes to enable productivity gains.


Development & Demonstration of APC tools for Food & FMCG Manufacture
FOOD & FMCG test bed will develop innovative tools that allow Advanced Process Control (APC) models to be rapidly built, maintained and reapplied, through adaptation of small-scale Process Analytical Technology (PAT) enabled powder/liquid processing pilot plants and High Throughput platform.
Demonstrators will include integration of the digital tools to allow rapid development and validation of
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Inferential measurements/soft sensors – reutilise data from existing sensors to infer reliable measurements of parameters where hardware sensors do not exist or are difficult to implement in continuous manufacturing processes.
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Chemometric calibration models for PAT – multivariate mathematical models based on training data which can then be used to predict properties of new samples, especially where these measurements may be time-consuming, expensive, or difficult to obtain due to heavy interference.
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Model predictive control (MPC) – prediction of future manufacturing plant behaviour and suitable correction of process parameters to drive output towards desired target value.

