The Manufacturing Award is sponsored by :
We noticed last year that some teams had gone to considerable effort to build working models or prototypes and whilst this is not a condition of entry, we felt it was important to acknowledge the further step taken. So there will be a special Manufacturing Award judged across all categories for 2014. The judges will be looking for:
1. Build quality. This criterion will assess the ability of the team to build a working demonstrator and the quality of the workmanship in terms of finishing.
2. Use of most appropriate materials. The criterion should assess the number and quality of materials considered.
3. Quality of validation. How is the demonstrator evaluated?
Cranfield say you might find these links useful:
Future of UK Manufacturing (published 30th Oct 2013): The future of manufacturing – summary report (PDF, 2.4 MB) http://www.connect.bis.gov.uk/_/app/emailRobot/index/click/secret/8f8b3dc86a975d16e215808cc1f0f5d2?link=http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/foresight/docs/manufacturing/13-810-future-manufacturing-summary-report.pdf
UK Manufacturing Statistics: http://www.themanufacturer.com/uk-manufacturing-statistics/
Article: http://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/confidence-returns-manufacturing-surges-to-three-year-high/