WATERLOO, ON, September 24, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- WATERLOO, Canada (September 18, 2013) - Virtek Vision International, a leading supplier of laser-based manufacturing technology, announced today the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), a world class institution in the United Kingdom. This agreement will pave the way for the two organizations to collaborate on projects related to the development of skills, methods and technologies used in real-world manufacturing applications.

The agreement was formally announced at a recent technology demonstration event hosted by the UCLan in Preston. Attendees from industries as diverse as aerospace, shipbuilding, heavy engineering and construction joined with distinguished guests Dr. Sami Falou, Assistant Director of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), and Jonathan Thomas, Senior Project Manager for Lancashire Country Developments Ltd., to witness a demonstration of the new Virtek Iris Spatial Positioning System.

The Iris Spatial Positioning System (SPS) combines the use of laser projection with 3D vision technology to locate objects in 3D space, quickly lock onto CAD-specified assembly positions, and guide workers through the assembly process. It is designed for companies that manufacture heavy machinery, like earth moving equipment (excavators, mining trucks), locomotives, ships, pressure vessels and other large-scale products.

Billy Beggs, UCLan's Engineering Innovation Manager, said, "This represents the start of an exciting time for our University. Collaborating with leaders from the world of advanced manufacturing technology is the best way to expose UCLan engineering students to the skills and technologies most needed by industry. The ability to master and apply new technologies, such as the laser projection system we've seen here today, is essential to their futures, and to the futures of the companies who will employ them. We look forward to working with Virtek and their British customers to help identify their future technological requirements, and then develop the kind of skilled professionals that will ensure the future of high-value manufacturing in our county and in our country."

"We're pleased to have been invited to participate in what the UCLan team is creating here," said Carlos Pinto, Sales Manager for Virtek. "Today, we're showing a breakthrough in terms of technological sophistication in our product range. More importantly, we're taking part in a demonstration of how the industrial and academic worlds come together and drive the path to our economic future. When you manage to bring cutting-edge technology and bright young minds together, as the UCLan team has done, you've truly found the catalyst for innovation in the key areas of methods and productive means."