Atom Valley Reaches Major Milestone as SMMC Prepares for Its Next Chapter
Posted by TeamPC on 13 Oct 2026
With the base build of Atom Valley’s Sustainable Materials & Manufacturing Centre (SMMC) now complete, the ambitious project has reached another major milestone.
Perfect Circle designed and developed the SMMC website, helping establish the digital foundations for a new centre dedicated to sustainable materials, advanced manufacturing and innovation in Greater Manchester.
The new 30,000 sq ft facility at Kingsway Business Park in Rochdale is the first major physical development within the Atom Valley Innovation District, representing an important step forward for sustainable industrial growth in the region.
Connecting Industry, Research and Innovation
The SMMC is being developed as a gateway to specialist expertise, facilities and support for businesses working in advanced materials and manufacturing.
Bringing together industry, academia and innovation partners, the centre aims to help businesses develop new products, explore sustainable materials and move promising technologies closer to commercial application.
The latest construction milestone marks the transition towards specialist fit-out, ahead of the centre becoming operational in 2027.
It’s a significant development for Atom Valley and for the wider ambition to strengthen Greater Manchester’s position as a centre of advanced manufacturing excellence.
Read the full announcement from Rochdale Development Agency.
Building the Digital Foundations for SMMC
While the physical centre has been taking shape, SMMC has also been establishing its presence online.
Perfect Circle was appointed to design and build the SMMC website, creating a digital platform to communicate the centre’s purpose, showcase its capabilities and encourage engagement with businesses and innovation partners.
The project brought together our experience in advanced manufacturing and engineering with our expertise in website strategy, user experience and digital development.
Our work included:
- Strategic website design: Creating a clear, accessible experience for audiences across industry, research and the public sector.
- Audience-led user journeys: Helping visitors find relevant information and understand opportunities to engage with SMMC.
- Scalable CMS development: Establishing a flexible platform designed to support future content and organisational growth.
- Digital engagement foundations: Developing an architecture capable of supporting future CRM integration, marketing automation and lead generation.
The objective was to create more than an online brochure. SMMC needed a digital presence that could evolve alongside the centre itself.
Read how Perfect Circle developed the SMMC website.
Digital Infrastructure for a Changing Manufacturing Sector
Advanced manufacturing is evolving rapidly, shaped by sustainability, new technologies, changing supply chains and closer collaboration between industry and research.
For organisations operating in this environment, their digital presence plays an increasingly important role in communicating expertise, building credibility and connecting with commercial partners.
A well-designed website needs to do more than explain what an organisation does. It should understand its audiences, support their decision-making and make it easier for them to take the next step.
That’s the thinking behind Perfect Circle’s approach to digital development.
By combining behavioural insight, strategic design and scalable technology, we create websites that help complex B2B organisations communicate clearly and build meaningful engagement.
Looking Ahead
The completion of SMMC’s base build is an important moment in the development of Atom Valley and Greater Manchester’s advanced manufacturing sector.
As the centre moves towards its next phase, we’re pleased to have contributed to the digital foundations supporting its ambitions. We look forward to seeing SMMC develop into a significant destination for sustainable materials and industrial innovation.
At Perfect Circle, we work with organisations across advanced manufacturing, engineering and technology to create strategic, scalable websites that support their ambitions for growth.
Discover more about our work with the SMMC, or talk to Perfect Circle about your next digital project.
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