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CPI Leads AceForm4.0 to Boost Formulated Product Development

19 Dec 2018

The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) has led a project focused upon strengthening Europe’s leadership in the development and commercialisation of innovative, sustainable formulated products.

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The AceForm4.0 programme has set out a roadmap for the advancement of industry-led growth across formulating industries and progression of a strategic partnership between industry and the European Commission. 

Formulated products play a key role in the performance and growth of many markets critical to the success of Europe’s economy, such as consumer goods, engineering fluids, pharmaceuticals, coatings, inks, composites and advanced materials, and the food and drink sector. 

The formulation sector is a very large yet generally overlooked industrial community and the AceForm4.0 project – known fully as Activating Value Chain for EU Leadership in Formulation Manufacturing 4.0) – and funded via Horizon 2020, has put forward a number of recommendations.

They include improvements to systems-based solutions for complex challenges to strengthen value chains and cycle collaborations, and the need to unlock value through systems-based sustainable solutions to boost the circular economy. 

It also highlighted the importance of progressing a toolkit to enable radical product and process design.

CPI has led the AceForm4.0 project to drive the advancement of industry-led growth across formulating industries. Pictured are workers in one of its laboratories at its cutting-edge formulation facility based at NETPark, in Sedgefield, County Durham

The project, which collated the opinions of more than 100 industry figures, has been endorsed by 20 leading individuals working in the formulation sector across Europe. 

A team of AceForm4.0 partners will now work with the European Commission and other key stakeholders to drive the realisation of the recommendations.

Darren Ragheb, AceForm4.0 Project Manager, said: We are delighted that AceForm4.0 has led to a strong cross-sector community with a clear set of recommendations towards innovation leadership across the EU Formulating Industries. 

With the right commitment and co-ordination, this will provide the foundations for technical leadership, significant economic growth, and formulation playing a key role in resolving many grand challenges currently facing our society.” 

For more information about AceForm4.0 and to keep updated on its progress, as well as future workshops and events, visit www​.for​mu​la​tion​-net​work​.eu

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