News » UK News Spot the robot dog joins MTC delegation to the Drives Show
Visitors to next month’s Drives & Controls Show will be able to see Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot “dog” in action. The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) will be bringing one of the handful of Spots in the UK to the show and will have experts on hand to discuss the four-legged robot which has starred in many YouTube videos. The MTC is already employing Spot in a project that is investigating the potential of using the robots to inspect fruit growing in orchards for diseases and pests, as well as determining when the fruit is ripe.
Manufacturers want unused £2bn levy to go to apprentices
UK manufacturers have called on the Government to adopt a special approach to how the manufacturing sector can spend left-over apprenticeship levy funds, which are currently expiring and going to waste. Make UK, the manufacturers’ body, wants to spend the funds – which amounted to almost £2bn last year – to pay the wages of new apprentices. It says this would result in a significant boost to the number of young recruits entering the sector.
New UK group aims to lead sustainable manufacturing
The University of Birmingham and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) have launched a research group with the aim of decarbonising manufacturing. The venture will bring together r&d and product development lifecycle experts from both organisations, together with industrial partners, to establish a “world-leading” research group that will lead a sustainable manufacturing revolution.
UK imports from Asia have soared despite the Covid pandemic
The UK has become more reliant on imports from low-cost countries in Asia over the past four years, despite the supply chain disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, according a new analysis It reveals that manufactured goods imports from low-cost countries in Asia represented 61% of the UK manufacturing sector’s gross output in the third quarter of 2021 – compared to 43% in the first quarter of 2018.
Online booking opens for 2022 Drives & Controls Show
Online registration has now opened for visitors wanting to attend the Drives & Controls Show which will take place at Birmingham National Exhibition Centre from 5-7 April. The show is the UK’s leading trade show for the drives, power transmission and motion control sector.
£4.5m competition aims to lift electronics and drives skills
Innovate UK has announced a £4.5m competition aimed at developing skills, talent and training in the UK’s power electronics, machines and drives (PEMD) sector. The competition, run by the Driving the Electric Revolution challenge – part of UK Research and Innovation – will invest up to £4.5m in projects designed to build talent for the future in this sector.
UK JV will develop propulsion systems for electric aircraft
A joint venture is being set up in the UK to develop and commercialise kW-MW scale electric propulsion systems – both conventional and superconducting – for both aerospace and non-aerospace applications. The venture, called Hydrogen Hybrid Electric Propulsion Systems (H2EPS), is being formed by the University of Nottingham (UoN) and the Electric Aviation Group (EAG), which is designing “the world’s first true-zero (zero carbon and NOx emissions) 90-seater hydrogen hybrid-electric regional aircraft” which, it hopes, will enter service by 2030.
DFA is chosen as media partner for National Manufacturing Summit
DFA Manufacturing Media, the publisher of Drives & Controls, Smart Futures, Plant and Works Engineering and Talking Industry, has been appointed an official media partner of the National Manufacturing Summit which takes place on 8 and 9 February at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry.
Skills and costs are now the biggest fears for UK manufacturers
More than half of UK manufacturers say that their biggest challenges have changed over the past 12 months. According to a new survey by Make UK and PwC, almost six in ten (58%) now see access to labour seen as being the biggest risk they face, with almost 90% being worried about losing skills not only from their own businesses, but from the entire UK manufacturing sector. Their second-biggest concern is now over inflationary pressures.
Invertek invests £10m to boost capacity and create 85 jobs
The Welsh drives-maker Invertek Drives is investing £10m to expand the manufacturing and distribution facilities at its global headquarters in Welshpool, and to develop a new application centre. The investment will create 85 new jobs over the coming year, adding to the 280 who already work at the site, and follows a recruitment drive over the past year to expand the company’s production and r&d departments.
High-efficiency motors pioneer David Walters has died
The death has been announced of Professor David Walters OBE, former technical director the motor manufacturer Brook Crompton, who was a pioneer of high-efficiency motors and led the development of Brook’s World Series (W) motors which won a Queens Award for Industry.
UK manufacturers want more support to help SMEs to grow
Britain’s manufacturers are calling on the Government to improve access to funding for small and medium-sized firms to help them to boost their productivity and to expand. New research published by Make UK, the manufacturers’ organisation, shows that UK economy could be boosted by £270bn if the 75% of the SMEs with lower productivity had a similar output to the top 25%.
Research centre aims to advance smart manufacturing in UK
A new national robotics research centre is being set up to advance smart manufacturing in the UK by eliminating barriers and accelerating the widespread use of smart collaborative robotics technologies. The aim of the Made Smarter Innovation Research Centre for Smart, Collaborative Industrial Robotics is to unlock the potential of the UK industry in terms of productivity, quality and adaptability.
Portal will act as one-stop shop for smart technologies
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 wins lifetime award for AEMT contributions
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”.
