Digital Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) in Industrialised Construction (KTP Associate)

Company description:

We are a world class research-intensive university. We deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality. We play a leading role in economic, social and cultural development of the North East of England. Attracting and retaining high-calibre people is fundamental to our continued success.

Job description:

The role

Merit Holdings Ltd. and Newcastle University are offering an exciting opportunity to implement a new solution for advancing the digitalisation and automation of the design processes and their interfaces with manufacturing and other business functions.
Merit is one of the UK's leading offsite construction specialists for technically complex and low-carbon emission buildings, and excels in providing high-quality facilities for the healthcare, pharmaceutical and bioscience sectors. Leveraging the Industrialised Construction (IC) approach, Merit has demonstrated its capability to reduce the on-site construction activities and time while improving the overall productivity and profitability for clients.

The KTP aim is to advance the digital Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) processes by automating the design processes and integrating them with procurement processes and the downstream manufacturing and assembly processes.

Based at Merit Holdings Ltd, Cramlington, you will lead a Knowledge Transfer Partnership project. You will lead on the implementation of this project transforming Merit's industrialised construction approach through smart digitalisation and automation of design and manufacturing processes using knowledge-based engineering and DfMA methods. You will be supported by an interdisciplinary team from Newcastle University, led by Prof Mohamad Kassem, with expertise in digital construction, construction informatics, software engineering, robotics, and control. You will have also support from a Senior Company Supervisor. You will also interface at a later stage in the project and work with another KTP Associate specialised in Industrial Automation.

You will capture up-to-date domain knowledge about existing digital DfMA using a knowledge-based engineering methodology and develop ways for automating and integrating such processes with procurement/estimation and production/manufacturing processes. You will have access to some of the most advanced digital design and planning tools within the industry.

Candidates should have MSc or PhD in Design / Computational Design, Architectural Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related discipline.

Benefits:

• Develop managerial skills and attend two residential managerial workshops (each of one week duration)
• £4,000 personal training budget
• The opportunity to lead a project, develop project management skills and improve long term career prospects
• Mentoring by a Knowledge Transfer Network Adviser
• Full access to university resources to complete the project
• Ability to work in a largely self-determined way, across the industry-academic partnership
• Opportunities to develop both technical understanding and commercial awareness
• The possibility to study for a higher degree or undertake professional development

The KTP Associate will be an employee of Newcastle University but will spend most of their working time at the company's premises at 8 Silverton Court, Northumberland Business Park, Cramlington, NE23 7RY and when required at Newcastle University. Although the contract is fixed term for a duration of 2 years, more than 70% of KTP staff gain a permanent job offer by their KTP company.

For more information or informal enquiries, please contact Prof Mohamad Kassem (Mohamad.kassem@newcastle.ac.uk) and Dr Xiang Xie (Xiang.xie@newcastle.ac.uk)

For further details on the Faculty of Science, Agriculture & Engineering please visit our web page at:
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/sage/.

For further details about Knowledge Transfer Partnerships please visit the web page at:
http://www.ktp-uk.org/.

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