<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><ns2:project xmlns:ns1="http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/gtr/api" xmlns:ns2="http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/gtr/api/project" xmlns:ns3="http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/gtr/api/fund" xmlns:ns4="http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/gtr/api/person" xmlns:ns5="http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/gtr/api/project/outcome" xmlns:ns6="http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/gtr/api/organisation" ns1:created="2026-06-03T15:52:43Z" ns1:href="http://gtr.ukri.org/gtr/api/projects/1FFD53AA-AC2B-4975-9B29-EC5847E46434" ns1:id="1FFD53AA-AC2B-4975-9B29-EC5847E46434"><ns1:links><ns1:link ns1:href="http://gtr.ukri.org/gtr/api/persons/98C026B0-77D1-490A-B9FE-AAD90AB38173" ns1:rel="PM_PER"/><ns1:link ns1:href="http://gtr.ukri.org/gtr/api/organisations/11C2E04D-BEA3-43D8-8683-466A0C6CB7E2" ns1:rel="LEAD_ORG"/><ns1:link ns1:href="http://gtr.ukri.org/gtr/api/organisations/11C2E04D-BEA3-43D8-8683-466A0C6CB7E2" ns1:rel="PARTICIPANT_ORG"/><ns1:link ns1:end="2021-04-29T23:00:00Z" ns1:href="http://gtr.ukri.org/gtr/api/funds/96C34551-683E-4FCA-85C2-7C12A5EDB693" ns1:rel="FUND" ns1:start="2020-11-01T00:00:00Z"/></ns1:links><ns2:identifiers><ns2:identifier ns2:type="RCUK">84759</ns2:identifier></ns2:identifiers><ns2:title>Smart Distributed Production: Usage of Machine Learning to minimise delivery routes</ns2:title><ns2:status>Closed</ns2:status><ns2:grantCategory>Collaborative R&amp;D</ns2:grantCategory><ns2:leadFunder>Innovate UK</ns2:leadFunder><ns2:abstractText>**Project summary**

The crisis caused by COVID-19 has significant impact on global and UK supply chains, disrupting production and shipping alike. One result of this disruption is, that over 90% of businesses expect a significant onshoring of activity ([https://www.theengineer.co.uk/poll-pandemic-reshoring-uk-manufacturing/][0]) and Additive Manufacturing (AM) is one solution to a successful onshoring ([https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2020/05/onshoring-in-the-post-coronavirus-future-local-goods-for-local-people/][1]).

A key challenge is the fragmentation of the AM Market, where over 50% of the market is split between thousands of small, highly specialised Service Bureaus ([https://amfg.ai/the-additive-manufacturing-landscape-2020-report/][2]), often in remote areas of the UK. To aggravate the matter, these Service Bureaus form loose partnerships among each other, routing parts from A to B and back, resulting in repeat journeys which would be avoided if handled centrally.

This leads to inefficiencies in the delivery process, which requires a central solution to overcome. As a direct response, Autonomous Manufacturing Limited (further called AMFG) will offer the market a solution that offers:

1. Intelligent Packaging of multiple parts and orders
2. Intelligent Part Routing between Service Bureaus
3. Intelligent Delivery planning

[0]: https://www.theengineer.co.uk/poll-pandemic-reshoring-uk-manufacturing/
[1]: https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2020/05/onshoring-in-the-post-coronavirus-future-local-goods-for-local-people/
[2]: https://amfg.ai/the-additive-manufacturing-landscape-2020-report/</ns2:abstractText></ns2:project>