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£100m programme aims to boost take-up of AI and ML in UK

Innovate UK has launched a programme to drive the take-up of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies in the UK. The BridgeAI programme will make £100m of funding available to companies working on AI and ML projects.

Bespoke machines make the first plastic-free Poppies

Yorkshire-based Sewtec Automation has designed and built three machines to produce the first plastic-free Remembrance Poppies for the Royal British Legion.

Rubix UK buys Gapp Automation to raise its electrical profile

The MRO company Rubix UK has bought Bedford-based Gapp Automation, which distributes motion, control & automation (MCA) systems in the UK and Ireland. The acquisition will extend Rubix’s activities into the electrical MCA sector, alongside its existing mechanical businesses. Details of the transaction have not been revealed.

£2.5m investment helps Sprint to expand into AC drives

Sprint Electric, the Sussex-based manufacturer of DC drives, has secured investments totalling £2.5m to help it enter the AC VSD (variable-speed drives) market with a new range with regenerative capabilities, developed in conjunction with the University of Nottingham.

UK automation sector remains ‘attractive for investors’

There were almost 800 acquisitions or mergers involving UK manufacturing businesses in 2022, according to data released by the accountancy and business advisory firm BDO. The 793 deals recorded represent a small increase on the 779 completed in 2021.

Routeco buys Swibox Automation to boost EMEA activities

The UK-headquartered industrial automation and controls distributor, the Routeco Group, has acquired the Swiss business Swibox Automation for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition will strengthen Routeco's presence in the EMEA region and help to meet a rising demand for industrial automation products and services across Europe. The acquisition complements Routeco’s existing European locations in the UK, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Radwell buys UK repairs specialist, Northern Industrial

Radwell International, the US-headquartered specialist in surplus and remanufactured industrial control systems, has bought the Blackburn-based automation repairs firm, Northern Industrial, for an undisclosed sum.

Government plans higher efficiency standards

The UK Government is planning to raise Meps (minimum energy performance standards) and to strengthen energy labelling requirements for energy-using products, to help cut energy demand. This was revealed in the more than 2,000 pages of documents that accompanied the recent launch of its Powering Up Britain plan for the future of energy security in the UK.

Extension will more than double Invertek’s VSD output

The Welsh drives-maker Invertek has started work on a 2,771m2 extension to its manufacturing and distribution facility in Welshpool, Powys. The extension to the existing 5,500m2 facility is part of a £10m investment that also includes a new Application and Training Centre.

Leading figures set to appear at Talking Industry Live

The final seminar programme for the Talking Industry Live event taking place at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry on April 25, has now been released. The free one-day event organised in partnership with the MTC, will provide an environment for delegates to learn about cutting-edge technologies and best practice through panel discussions, presentations, live demonstrations and workshops.

M&E Week will celebrate engineering and manufacturing

More details have been released about Manufacturing & Engineering Week 2023 – the week-long festival of live and digital events taking place at the Birmingham NEC in June, including a two-day exhibition on 7–8 June that will be the new home of the Drives & Controls Show.

Business rebounds for UK manufacturers, but problems not over

Output and orders have both rebounded for UK manufacturers during the first quarter of 2023 as domestic and global markets have improved, easing fears of a significant recession for the sector this year, according to a survey published by the manufacturers’ association Make UK and the accountancy and business advisory firm BDO.

Schneider’s Yeeles goes from automation to secure power

Schneider Electric has appointed Mark Yeeles– currently vice-president of its Industrial Automation business in the UK and Ireland – to be the new vice-president of its Secure Power division in the UK&I, succeeding Marc Garner, who is now leading the Secure Power Division in Europe. A new VP for Industrial Automation in the UK and Ireland has not yet been announced.

£370m plan to build a better Britain through science and tech

The British prime minister Rishi Sunak has announced plans, backed by more than £370m of new government funding, to boost infrastructure, investment and skills in technologies ranging from quantum and supercomputing to AI (artificial intelligence). The aim is to ensure the UK’s place as a global science and technology superpower by 2030.

Hub will connect UK’s PEMD community and promote skills

A new digital platform aimed at connecting the UK’s PEMD (power electronics, machines and drives) community and closing the skills gap in the sector will be launched later this month at a conference in Birmingham.