DFA Manufacturing Media, the publisher of Drives & Controls, has launched an online portal and social media information resource called Smart Futures that will cover developments in smart technologies across a wide range of sectors, including manufacturing, medical, building, agriculture, energy, security, transport and materials.
Tim Marks, former secretary and president of the AEMT (the Association of Electrical and Mechanical Trades), has been presented with a lifetime contribution award at the Association’s annual award ceremony, held recently in Coventry, UK. He was described as “the person who has probably put more work into the AEMT than anyone else in the history of the organisation, except maybe the founders”.
Rolls-Royce claims to have smashed the world speed record for electrically-powered aircraft with its Spirit of Innovation plane which recently hit a top speed of 555.9 km/h (345.4 mph) over a distance of 3km – 213.04 km/h (132mph) faster than the previous record set by a Siemens-powered plane in 2017. The Rolls aircraft also recorded 532.1km/h (330 mph) over 15km – 292.8km/h (182mph) faster than the previous record – and broke the fastest time to climb to 3,000m by 60 seconds with a time of 202 seconds. Rolls-Royce has submitted the data for verification to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) which controls and certifies aeronautical records.
Make UK, the organisation that represents British manufacturers, has released the first roadmap to achieving net-zero in the UK manufacturing sector. UK manufacturers are committing to cut direct emissions generated by manufacturing processes and by indirect emissions from purchased energy by 67% by the end of this decade, putting them in line with the 1.5°C Paris Agreement goal. They also believe they can achieve net-zero by 2050, as long as they have the support and help to create the right business environment.
Speeding up the adoption of industrial automation and robotics could lead to dramatic improvements in the UK’s manufacturing productivity, according to a major new report produced by the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and Loughborough University’s Industrial Policy Research Centre (IPRC).
The UK motor manufacturer Saietta has bought the Netherlands-based drivetrain developer e-Traction from Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group (NEVG), which is owned by the troubled Chinese property giant Evergrande. This is the second UK acquisition of part of NEVG, following Bedeo’s purchase of the in-wheel motor pioneer Protean Electric earlier this month.
Bedeo, a UK company specialising in transport electrification technologies, has acquired the in-wheel motor (IWM) pioneer Protean Electric from National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), a subsidiary of Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group – itself owned by the troubled Chinese property giant, Evergrande. The financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
The Made Smarter Innovation programme has launched a collaborative research and development competition with a focus on sustainable smart factories. Consortia of UK-registered business and organisations will be able to apply for a share of up to £20m for digital innovation projects designed to reduce the carbon emissions of manufacturing processes.
The UK became one of the world’s 15 largest markets for sales of industrial robots last year, after a long absence from the league, according to a new analysis by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). The number of industrial robots installed in the UK rose by 2,205 (8%) during 2020 to reach a total of around 23,000 (6% more than in 2019), but the country was still outside the global top 20 in terms of robot density – the number of robots installed per 10,000 industrial workers.
More than 450 production machines and other items of plant are being auctioned at SKF’s Stonehouse bearing manufacturing site in the UK as its prepares to shut down by the end of the year. SKF announced the closure of the factory in 2018 as part of a programme to consolidate its production of aerospace components in Europe, with production moving to sites in Italy and France. At the time, 185 people worked at the site.
The Advanced Engineering UK show will return to the NEC, Birmingham on 3 and 4 November, 2021 for the first time in almost two years.
Schneider Electric has invested £300,000 in its plant in Flint, North Wales, upgrading it to become its first smart factory in the UK. The project has transformed the site from being one of the company’s least efficient UK premises, to becoming its most productive in Europe. The investment paid for itself in less than a year.
A £500,000 digital testbed, aimed at creating a step change in smart manufacturing, is being built at Queen’s University Belfast to help develop new technologies and opportunities for local businesses. The project – a collaboration between Queen’s, BT and Cisco – is part of a co-investment to create a 5G-enabled digital factory.
Around 1.2 million green jobs could be created in the UK’s manufacturing and construction sectors by 2050 – but only if the Government provides the right help, such as introducing a green skills tax credit to encourage manufacturers to upskill more of their staff – according to a new report from the manufacturers’ body, Make UK, and the business management specialist, Sage.
Universal Robots (UR) has launched a leasing scheme that will allow SME manufacturers in the UK and Ireland to lease a cobot (collaborative robot) from £450 per month, with nothing to pay until 2022. The aim is to cut the costs of introducing automation for SME manufacturers by avoiding the need for an upfront capital investment.
