News from the 2nd - 16th September 2022

Current state of IT & OT convergence among manufacturers revealed in new report

Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) are two fundamental areas of manufacturing. Yet, traditionally, they haven’t always functioned as a unified entity. As a result, a gap often existed between the enterprise and the shop floor.

But as manufacturers further accelerate their digital transformation aspirations, converging IT & OT is a pivotal piece of the puzzle. After all, smarter shop floor machines produce better data. And better data helps to make machines operate more efficiently. The mutual benefits for enterprise and the shop floor of IT and OT convergence are substantial.

Now, a new report reveals where manufacturers are on their IT & OT convergence journeys.

Current state of IT & OT convergence among manufacturers revealed in new report

Wakefield Materials manufacturer secures contract with Robson Handling Technology

Hallamshire Engineering Services, a leading Wakefield-based manufacturer of material handling equipment, including pulleys, rollers and conveyors, has secured a major new contract to manufacture stainless steel drums for the food sector.

The contract win is with Robson Handling Technology, based in Sheffield, with the drums forming part of a conveyor system that the company is supplying to a sugar processing plant in Portugal.

One of only a small number of conveyor manufacturers in the UK to be able to produce drums, pulleys and rollers in stainless steel, Hallamshire Engineering Services supplies both standard and bespoke product sizes.

https://bdaily.co.uk/articles/2022/09/09/wakefield-materials-manufacturer-secures-contract-with-robson-handling-technology

Cumbernauld manufacturer lands contract at landmark net zero housing project

Cumbernauld-based manufacturer Cube Glass has secured one of its most lucrative contracts to date with a seven-figure deal at Western Villages, Scotland’s largest operational net zero housing development in Granton, Edinburgh.

The firm will partner with CCG Group to supply glazed screens for staircases in a project worth £1.4 million.

The deal is the latest in a series of major contract wins adding up to close to another £1 million, which Cube Glass said will ‘sustain and enhance’ its current growth phase

Cumbernauld manufacturer lands contract at landmark net zero housing project

News from the 26th August - 2nd September 2022

Teepee Electrical harnesses new opportunities with £200,000 investment in second factory

One of the UK’s leading manufacturers of complex cable harnesses and wiring looms has opened a second manufacturing site in the Black Country after a surge in orders from new and existing customers.

Teepee Electrical, which has secured over £500,000 of additional contracts since the turn of the year, has invested more than £200,000 in taking on and fitting out the additional 7500 sq. ft. unit in Aldridge.

https://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/teepee-harnesses-new-opportunities-with-200000-investment-in-second-factory/

University of Strathclyde graduates on track to deliver the world’s first all-electric jet engine

Scottish start-up Mako Aerospace based in Dunfermline, has teamed up with the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), operated by the University of Strathclyde, to manufacture the world’s first all-electric jet engine, which could double the range of electric aircraft compared to current hybrid models.
Headed by University of Strathclyde graduates Kieran Duncan and Pia Saelen, Mako is on a mission to realise aircraft electrification using a lighter and more efficient electric jet engine, called The Forerunner, which aims to reduce fuel costs by 70% compared to a traditional turboprop engine.

https://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/university-of-strathclyde-graduates-on-track-to-deliver-the-worlds-first-all-electric-jet-engine/

Bristol manufacturer to create 50 jobs in Somerset with new facility

A Bristol construction company is planning to create 50 jobs in Somerset after investing in a new plasterboard manufacturing facility in the county.

Etex said its new 57,000 m sq plant in Easton-in-Gordano would double production capacity for its Siniat brand, which already employs 506 people in the region, and would create job opportunities across a range of departments, including manufacturing, operations and production.

The business said it was also “keen” to encourage more young people to enter the sector with its operator apprenticeship scheme, which is designed to help the firm meet its future skills requirements.

https://www.business-live.co.uk/manufacturing/bristol-manufacturer-create-50-jobs-24901633

News from the 19th - 26th August 2022

Quiet Devon village will link to Sahara with 2,360-mile cable after plans approved

A Torridge village will be at the centre of an ambitious green energy project following planning approval to build a Scottish factory.

Planning has been granted to build a factory in Hunterston, Scotland which will connect solar and wind energy from the Sahara to the UK. The factory would construct the cable from 90k tonnes of steel and connect Morocco to the UK through shallow water routes. In addition to Alverdiscott, the cable will run through Spain, Portugal and France.

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/quiet-devon-village-link-sahara-7484968

Global manufacturer opens new production unit in North Wales

A global manufacturer has started production at a new unit in North Wales – creating new jobs in the region. Emtelle is a leading global manufacturer of blown fibre and ducted solution manufacturing and has opened a specialist unit in Wrexham.

In a boost to its UK production capabilities, the company, which employs 450 people in the UK and more than 700 worldwide, has increased its manufacturing capacity to support unprecedented demand in ‘passive network solutions’ for clients.

There are an initial 21 jobs being created at Wrexham and the firm is considering adding more space to more than double the facility in 2023 as part of a further expansion of the group, leading to further employments opportunities.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/global-manufacturer-opens-new-production-24820566

Biomass: Giant ‘space brolly’ to weigh Earth’s forests

It looks for all the world like a giant brolly, but there’s no rain where it’s going.
This immense reflector-antenna is heading into space, to “weigh” Earth’s forests.

It’s a key component on the European Space Agency’s Biomass mission, now under construction in the UK at aerospace manufacturer Airbus.

When unfurled, the space brolly’s 12m by 15m wire-mesh membrane will be part of a very special P-band radar system.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62650129

News from the 12th - 19th August 2022

Advanced Forming Research Centre forges ahead in Sheffield

Six major players in the forging and forming industries have joined the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC), part of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) Group, just months after it established an outreach office in Sheffield to support a cluster of innovative companies vital to the UK’s transition to a greener economy.

The six new members are: Sheffield Forgemasters; Forged Solutions Group; Independent Forging and Alloys; Maher; Castings Technology International; and Footprint Tools.

https://www.strath.ac.uk/whystrathclyde/news/2022/advancedformingresearchcentreforgesahead/

Essar Oil UK celebrates carbon capture ‘milestone’

Indian conglomerate Essar’s UK arm, Essar Oil (UK), is celebrating a new “milestone” in its transition to low carbon operations after the UK government shortlisted the construction of a new hydrogen project and separate carbon capture project at its site in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, in north-west England.

Essar Oil UK’s Carbon Dioxide Capture Unit is among 20 shortlisted projects announced last week by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), marking next stage of carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) cluster process as part of wider actions towards meeting its net zero economy targets.

https://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/oil-and-gas/essar-oil-uk-celebrates-carbon-capture-milestone/93626613?redirect=1

UK set to host rare earths processing hub in push for cleantech security

The UK is set to host a new $195m rare earth processing hub that Pensana is building at the Saltend chemicals park on Humberside. It will become one of only three such facilities operating outside of China and comes as the UK has launched a new strategy to shore up supplies of the critical materials needed for the energy transition.

The facility is set to begin operations in 2023, and when it reaches full capacity in 2024 will produce 12,500 t/y of separated rare earths including around 5,000 t of neodymium and praseodymium oxides. These are essential components of the magnets used in electric vehicle motors and wind turbine generators.

https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/uk-set-to-host-rare-earths-processing-hub-in-push-for-cleantech-security/

News from the 5th - 12th August 2022

Siniat’s plasterboard manufacturing capacity set to double

Lightweight construction manufacturer Etex is set to double the plasterboard production capacity of its Ferrybridge plant upon the opening of its new factory in 2023.

Work is well underway for the new 57,000m2 Siniat facility, which comes at a time when plasterboard and timber shortages continue to put pressure on the supply chain.

The new facility is a significant investment by Etex and demonstrates its commitment to supporting the future of British manufacturing, as well as its eagerness to increase reliability of supply and meet the growing demand for plasterboard across the UK, the largest plasterboard market in Europe.

https://www.buildersmerchantsnews.co.uk/Siniats-plasterboard-manufacturing-capacity-set-to-double/53797

North Tyneside manufacturer Formica draws in sales of £63.5m amid factory footprint changes

North Shields firm Formica brought in sales of £63.5m in a year of change which saw it reduce its manufacturing footprint, new accounts show.

The Coast Road company, part of the global Formica Group, has been making laminate products for the residential and commercial sectors for more than 70 years. Two years before the pandemic the firm was sold by its owners to Netherlands-based Broadview Holding BV as part of a deal worth more than £660m, soon after the North East site had received multimillion-pound investment across its office and production areas.

https://www.business-live.co.uk/manufacturing/north-tyneside-manufacturer-formica-draws-24683535

Unilever to launch fleet of driverless ice cream vans using Robomart autonomous vehicles

Unilever will deploy a fleet of Ice Cream Robomarts this summer, featuring treats from Unilever ice cream brands Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Good Humor, Magnum ice cream and Talenti.

With its patented one-tap grocery ordering technology, consumers can hail The Ice Cream Shop Robomarts to their location using Robomart’s proprietary mobile app.

When it arrives, the user swipes across the app to open the vehicle’s door. Robomart’s checkout-free system allows consumers to handpick their selected products and simply walk away – without physically checking out or swiping their credit card.

https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2022/08/04/unilever-to-launch-fleet-of-driverless-ice-cream-vans-using-robomart-autonomous-vehicles/53847/

News from the 29th July - 5th August 2022

Octopus Energy launches 1000-turbine UK repowering plan

Octopus Energy Generation is partnering with turbine manufacturer EWT to repower up to 1000 existing onshore wind turbines in the UK to help boost energy security.

The older wind turbines Octopus and EWT identified across England, Scotland and Wales, have already been powering communities for years.

In total the UK has approximately 9,000 onshore wind turbines, Octopus said

https://www.renews.biz/79541/octopus-energy-launches-1000-turbine-uk-repowering-plan/

Associated British Ports targets manufacturing and logistics development for 95-acre Newport sites

The UK’s leading ports group, Associated British Ports (ABP), has launched two development sites at Newport to support around 95 acres of regeneration.

Since the beginning of the year, ABP has made close to 600 acres of land available to the market as part of its ongoing port-centric manufacturing initiative.

The Atlantic and West Way Road sites at the Port of Newport comprise 73 and 22 acres respectively.

https://www.abports.co.uk/news-and-media/latest-news/2022/associated-british-ports-targets-manufacturing-and-logistics-development-for-95-acre-newport-sites/

Pilgrim’s UK invests £10m into sustainability

Pilgrim’s UK, the British food business and pork producer, is to invest over £10m into sustainability projects over the next 12 months.

The funding will support the roll out of a series of process innovations and operational improvements to help the business on its net zero roadmap, the company revealed. Upgrades include completing the transition to LED lighting across all of its sites and swapping equipment with more energy efficient alternatives, such as heat pumps in place of gas boilers and optimised refrigeration systems.

https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2022/08/01/Pilgrim-UK-invests-10m-into-sustainability