UK car manufacturing hits 17-year high in February
Car production rose 8% year-on-year to 153,041 units in February, according to new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Output was driven by overseas demand, with exports up 13% to 118,898 units, offsetting a fall in home production, which was down -7% in the month.
February’s performance helped to drive overall year-to-date production past 300,000 units for the first time since 2002, with output rising 7.8% to 301,004 units. Growth was again driven by exports of UK-made cars, which grew 12.1%, with 236,834 units shipped abroad, offsetting a decline in domestic demand of -6% to 64,170 units.
Smiths Group doubles profits in first half of the year
British engineering giant Smiths Group more than doubled its pre-tax profits in the first half of the year thanks to strong sales of security sensors and x-ray detectors.
The FTSE 100-listed company, which supplies hospital equipment, industrial services and explosive detection sensors, increased its profit to £346 million in the six months ended 31 January from £168 million a year earlier.
Smiths also benefited from raising more than £330 million from the disposal of three of its non-core businesses, increased research and development spending, and the introduction of the Smiths Excellence System.
DfT helps fund truck aerodynamic simulator
A web-based system that simulates aerodynamic efficiency of trucks is being developed with funding support from the Department for Transport (DfT).
TotalSim’s Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) package, known as the Aerodynamic Configurator for Transport, is part-supported by the DfT’s Low Emissions Freight and Logistics Trial, which has awarded a grant of £392,240 towards the total £560,342 project costs.
Fund aims to encourage oil and gas innovation
The Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF) and the Oil & Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC) are to jointly fund and support the development of innovations which could reduce costs, raise production efficiency, and improve safety and environmental performance.
OGIC has made £1 million available to support companies with projects that require research and development to be undertaken at a Scottish university. Meanwhile, OGIC can fund up to 70% of these costs and ITF can potentially ‘top-up’ financial support if an innovative project engages the interest of its members.
The closing date for applications is 30 April 2017.
Cammell Laird moves into nuclear
Shipbuilder Cammell Laird’s ambition to move into the nuclear engineering industry came a step closer as it announced a plan to open a new £1.5 million nuclear design and training centre.
Known as the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, the facility will enable Laird’s to design and manufacture component parts that could be installed at Britain’s next generation of nuclear power stations to be built at Hinkley Point in Somerset, Wylfa in Anglesey and Moorside in Cumbria.
The firm believes the move could eventually lead to the creation of thousands of local jobs at its Birkenhead shipyard.
BMW uses VR to test designs
BMW is using virtual reality technology transferred from the computer games industry to help its stylists, engineers and ergonomists to work more quickly and more efficiently.
The company is combining 3D printed prototype components with VR developed using Unreal Engine’s real-time physics-based rendering engine which enables staff to evaluate more design options and progress designs further before prototypes are built.
Siemens invests additional £1m in factory
Siemens has invested an additional £1 million in its Leeds-based factory.
The cash injection is to support a new service cell for rail fleet gearbox overhauls and will help Siemens bolster local investment in the supply chain, as well as create up to 15 jobs in the next five years.
In the past two-and-a-half years Siemens has invested £2.5 million across the Leeds factory and steadily grown its workforce to about 65 people.
The award-winning site is recruiting for more service engineers to work on wind turbines and plans to take on three more people for the newly-created rail service cell.
Hyperdrive Innovation appoints CEO
Hyperdrive Innovation, a technology developer and manufacturer of high performance energy storage systems for electric vehicles and battery energy storage, has selected Allan Cairns as its new chief executive.
Cairns joins Hyperdrive with 30’ years of experience, having worked in senior positions in the energy industry. In 2007 he co-founded Fabricom Offshore Services which provides fully integrated consultancy and management services for engineering, procurement and construction.
UK unprepared for Industry 4.0
The UK is badly underprepared for Industry 4.0, according to a report published by ERIKS.
The report, Is the UK ready for Industry 4.0? Industrial maintenance in a connected world of Big Data, reveals that 61% of UK engineers are not currently undertaking any form of Industry 4.0 initiatives, despite the fact that the vast majority (80%) believe it will have a positive effect on their production and maintenance practices.
The report highlights several major barriers to the implementation of Industry 4.0 in the UK, including security concerns, a lack of understanding of its potential benefits, particularly among senior managers, and an unwillingness to share data with third party maintenance suppliers or OEMs, which could facilitate more progressive maintenance practices, such as remote condition monitoring.
In fact, the results suggest that 79% of organisations would offer limited or no disclosure of their data, despite 56% admitting that they needed support from an OEM or third party to use their data for machine diagnosis.
Electric taxi plant opens in Coventry
The London Taxi Company opened its £300 million Ansty Park plant in Coventry this week – the home of its new electric taxi, the TX5.
The company, which employs up to 1,500 people, has invested millions in the TX5 after manufacturing the black cab in the UK for 69 years.
The first electric taxis to roll off the production line will go on sale in London in the final quarter of the year, before being sold around the world early in 2018.
SSE increases Dogger Bank stake
British energy supplier SSE has increased its share in the Dogger Bank offshore wind development to 37.5% after it acquiring a stake from former consortium partner Statkraft.
SSE bought a 12.5% stake from Statkraft, while Statoil has acquired the other 12.5% of Statkraft's share, meaning it also now has 37.5% ownership, SSE said. Innogy owns the other 25%.
The Dogger Bank offshore wind development is made up of four projects in the North Sea off the east coast of England.
UK manufacturers remain resilient, finds barometer
Small to medium sized manufacturers in the UK have remained resilient in the face of ‘Brexit’ uncertainty, with 57% of firms recording an increase in sales during the past six months.
The National Manufacturing Barometer, conducted by SWMAS Group in partnership with Economic Growth Solutions, also found strong optimism for growth, with two thirds of respondents expecting sales to grow again during the first half of 2017.
Half of those questioned revealed that they plan to invest in new capital equipment and technology going forward, while 46% plan to increase their workforce to cope with demand.
Another key finding is that a surprising 42% of respondents say that don't know whether the UK Industrial Strategy is built to deliver their business needs, clearly showing there is a lack of visibility and understanding amongst SME manufacturers.