ABB in the UK has created a team that will offer engineered and medium voltage drives systems based on its machines, transformers, VSDs and lifecycle services. It says that the Drives Solutions Team will provide customers with a single point of contact for optimised and integrated products, cut their project costs, and offer them a single warranty.
The activities of Newall, the Leicester, UK-based manufacturer of linear encoders and digital readout systems, could be transferred to Tijuana, Mexico, if Schneider Electric’s planned sale of most of its Custom Sensors and Technologies (CST) business goes ahead.
A survey of UK manufacturers has revealed that many believe that robotic automation is not suitable for low-volume or bespoke production processes.
Visitors to the Lafert Electric Motors stand at the Drives & Controls Show in April will be able to see an electric racing car built by girls from Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College. The company is sponsoring teams at the school who are taking part in the IET (Institution of Engineering & Technology) Formula 24 and 24+ battery-powered racing car competitions.
ABB Robotics UK has launched an online calculator to help smaller manufacturers (SMEs) to discover the cost and productivity benefits that can be achieved by using industrial robots. The calculator demonstrates how companies can often recoup their outlay on robots within two years through enhanced levels of performance and competitiveness.
The Coventry–based automation systems specialist Expert Group, has acquired Widnes-based Tracoinsa Systems UK, which produces conveyor systems for the automotive sector. Tracoinsa is the fifth company in the Expert group and is expected to boost the group’s revenues to more than £50m in 2014.
UK manufacturers are enjoying increasingly strong growth thanks to a combination of strong domestic sales and a boost in overseas trade, according to the latest quarterly survey by EEF, the UK manufacturers’ organisation and BDO, the business adviser and accountancy firm.
A world-record-beating electric dragster, that can accelerate from 0–60mph (96.5km/h) in 1.5 seconds, will be a star of the upcoming Drives & Controls Show, taking place in Birmingham, UK, in April. The dragster, called Black Current, will be on display on the Amtecs stand, whose engineers designed, built and race the vehicle.
Graham Dewhurst, director general of the Manufacturing Technologies Association, is to retire in the summer, after running the organisation for seven years. During his tenure, the number of members has grown by a third and the range of industries and type of company that the MTA represents has increased dramatically.
The CBI (Confederation of British Industry) is calling for action to make careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) more attractive and easier to access. In a new report, Engineering our Future, the CBI urges the Government to consider: financing a cut in tuition fees for some Stem courses; developing new training routes for existing workers; and creating a one-year crossover qualification.
A talk describing the technology behind Drayson Racing Technologies’ world-record-breaking electric sportscar is part of a wide-ranging programme of free presentations, seminars and discussion forums that will take place across all three days of next month’s Drives & Controls Show at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre.
A British-built electric sportscar that last year broke the world land speed record for sub-999kg electric vehicles, will be a crowd-puller at the Drives & Controls Show in April. The Drayson Racing Technologies (DRT) EV will be on show on the Carter Bearings stand and the technologies that helped to break the record will be described in a talk at the exhibition’s seminar theatre on Tuesday, 8 April.
The UK business secretary Vince Cable has announced the latest steps the government is taking to help manufacturers to “reshore” – bring production and jobs back to the UK from low-cost countries in the East.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has announced an electrotechnical apprenticeship standard as one of 11 sector-based standards that will act as blueprints for new apprenticeships, guided by companies from each sector.
Last month, the UK manufacturing sector added jobs at the fastest rate since May 2011. The sector maintained a strong upswing during February, with levels of production and new business continuing to rise at above-trend rates, according to the latest Markit/CIPS Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) survey.
