A visit by the Lord Mayor of London to the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing (AMRC) could help spread the message about local inward investment opportunities on a global stage.

The Lord Mayor, Lord Mountevans, was among a party who visited the AMRC before attending the Cutlers' Company's annual Forfeit Feast, in Sheffield.

The party, led by Master Cutler Craig McKay, chief executive of precision engineering group Evenort and a member of the AMRC Training Centre's Industrial Advisory Board, toured the AMRC's new Factory 2050 development and AMRC Castings.

Lord Mountevans also heard about plans to develop the UK's first Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District and Europe's largest research-led Advanced Manufacturing cluster in the Sheffield-Rotherham corridor, which is already home to the AMRC.

As Lord Mayor of London, Lord Mountevans heads the City of London Corporation, responsible for the 'Square Mile' at the heart of London, where many leading financial and professional services organisations are based.

His role involves travelling extensively around the world, in collaboration with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and UK Trade & Investment, fostering goodwill and boosting British trade.

AMRC Chief Executive Officer Colin Sirett said: "We were delighted to be able to show Lord Mountevans our world-beating facilities.

"Investment in the UK's advanced manufacturing capabilities has never been more important.

"The Cutlers' Company plays a key role in encouraging that by bringing to the region high profile visitors who can influence major investment decisions and spread the message about UK manufacturing excellence globally."

Touring Factory 2050, Lord Mountevans saw research into robotics and automation, digitally assisted assembly and manufacturing informatics, 'intelligent' machines and processes that can monitor and optimise their operations and new production line configurations that allow machines to be moved easily around the factory floor.

AMRC Castings recently unveiled the first custom-built steel foundry to be commissioned in the UK since the early 1980's.

The organisation is currently installing the biggest furnace in Western Europe for casting Titanium aerospace components as part of a major investment and R&D programme to enable UK companies to break into global markets for large-scale titanium aerospace engine and structural components.

About the Cutlers' Company and the Forfeit Feast

The Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire was founded in 1624 to control the organisation of the cutlery industry in Sheffield and the surrounding area and exists today to promote the interests of manufacturing industry in the Sheffield City Region.

The Lord Mayor of London is by tradition the principal guest at the Forfeit Feast, which takes its name from the fact that it used to be funded by fines paid by cutlers who had broken the Cutlers Company's rules or Members who had not attended Company meetings.