VSD recycling scheme passes the 100-tonne mark
ABB reports that it has recycled 100 tonnes of old variable-speed drives, since it started a recycling scheme in the UK in 2003. The proportion of materials that it recycles has risen from 90% of the weight of the drive at the start of the scheme, to 97% today.
£30m fund aims to boost the supply of UK engineers
The UK government has announced a £30m fund to boost the supply of engineers, to encourage more women into engineering, and to address engineering skills shortages in smaller companies. The fund is intended to help engineering companies to establish training programmes to develop future engineers, as well as raising the number of women in the profession.
Siemens appoints Jürgen Maier as its new UK CEO
Jürgen Maier has been appointed chief executive officer of Siemens in the UK with effect from July 1, 2014, succeeding Roland Aurich who is retiring from Siemens after working for the company for more than 28 years. Maier is currently a member of the Siemens UK executive management board, and managing director of Siemens Industry in the UK.
UK manufacturers raise their growth forecasts
Britain’s manufacturers have raised their forecast for growth during 2014 from 2.7% to 3.6% on the back of continued buoyant conditions, according to the latest quarterly survey published by the manufacturers’ organisation, EEF, and the accountancy firm, BDO. This is significantly ahead of the rest of the economy, despite GDP growth being upgraded from 2.6% to 3%.
MTA appoints James Selka as its new CEO to succeed Dewhurst
The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) has appointed James Selka to be its new chief executive officer, succeeding Graham Dewhurst who is retiring after seven years in the post.
IET members can now become Chartered Managers
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has formed a partnership with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) enabling it to award Chartered Manager status to its members.
Siemens appoints Peters to be MD of UK drives plant
Siemens has appointed Andrew Peters to be the new managing director of its drives manufacturing plant in Congleton, Cheshire, succeeding Finbarr Dowling, who is going to be the project director for Siemens’ new wind turbine manufacturing facilities at Green Port in Hull, and Paull in Yorkshire.
Drives and motion training is centred in Bristol
ABB has moved its UK variable-speed drive training activities to its Bristol site where a new training and conference centre will combine drives training for UK customers with motion control courses for global customers. ABB staff will also be trained at the site.
Chinese drives-maker funds r&d centre at UK university
A Chinese manufacturer of drives and power converters is funding the creation of a new technology centre at the University of Nottingham in the UK, which will develop a new generation of industrial drives. The Chinese company, Shen Zhen Nowforever Technology (SNF), has pledged initial funding of around £1.2m over the next five years.
PPMA names Andrew Stark as its new chief operating officer
The PPMA Group, which represents the UK’s processing and packaging industry, has appointed Andrew Stark as its new chief operating officer. Stark has a sales and marketing background and has spent the past nine years in the processing and packaging industry working for Multivac in several different roles. Earlier, he worked in IT and outsourced professional services in London’s Docklands.
Drives & Controls Show sets a new attendance record
The Drives & Controls Show and the cluster of allied events held at the Birmingham NEC last week, set new attendance records – despite a major accident closing the nearby M6 motorway for the whole of the first day of the show and preventing many potential visitors from reaching the NEC.
Fanuc merges three divisions under a single brand
Fanuc has combined its three UK divisions – Factory Automation (FA), Robotics and Robomachine – under the single brand, Fanuc UK. It says that the move will allow it to deliver “a more integrated approach” to automation systems while becoming a smarter and more efficient partner for its customers. It adds that the move has been driven by customer demands, and by the relocation of some employees to Fanuc’s head office in Coventry.
SIL certification service for machinery launches in the UK
The UK subsidiary of the German TÜV SÜD testing and certification organisation has launched a UK-based Safety Integrity Level (SIL) certification service, that will help manufacturers of safety-related controls to assure their customers that their products comply with the required performance levels.
EEF's £2m training centre will help to close the skills gap
EEF, the UK manufacturers’ organisation, has opened a £2m centre to train manufacturers and engineers in facilities that replicate a real manufacturing environment. The centre, located at Aston in the West Midlands, will train around 250 apprentices a year in skills including milling, CNC machining, welding and fabrication.
Manufacturing growth slows slightly in the UK
The seasonally adjusted Markit/CIPS Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) for UK manufacturing eased to an eight-month low of 55.3 in March, signalling a further cooling of growth from the peaks achieved towards the end of last year. However, the PMI remains well above its long-term average of 51.4, recording an improvement in operating conditions in each of the past 12 months.