Each day The Manufacturer compiles the top manufacturing news stories from around the web. To make your life a little easier, we trawl through all the major trade publications, broadsheets and business magazines to find you the most important manufacturing news each morning. Don't forget to bookmark this page and check back daily.
Made Smarter-backed Beverston Engineering hails ‘phenomenal’ impact after smart factory success
An innovative manufacturer of safety-critical components has boosted productivity by 20% after delivering a smart factory, backed by Made Smarter.
Beverston Engineering, based in Knowsley, invested £173,000 in sensor technology and software to connect all 20 machines across its factory to provide real-time visibility of its manufacturing.
As a result, the specialist component manufacturer for aerospace, oil and gas, and pharmaceutical industries, has increased productivity by 20%, increased profitability, won new business, and reduced carbon emissions by 10%. More via The Manufacturer
Connected and automated mobility revolution set to deliver £66bn prize by 2040
The UK is poised to benefit from a £66bn annual economic uplift by 2040, according to a landmark new report published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Connected and automated mobility: The UK economic and market opportunities sets out the extensive socio-economic benefits for Britain if connected and automated mobility (CAM) technology is adopted in a range of commercial applications, from self-driving cars and logistics vehicles to automated buses, taxis, shuttles and even tractors. More via SMMT
UKRI invests in the next generation of AI innovators
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced investment in 12 UKRI Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) in artificial intelligence (AI) based at 16 universities.
The investment will continue to ensure that the UK has the skills needed to seize the potential of the AI era, and to nurture the British tech talent that will push the AI revolution forwards.
A total of £117m has been awarded to the 12 CDTs, which will train the next generation of AI researchers from across the UK. This builds on the previous UKRI investment of £100m in 2018. More via UK Research and Innovation
BAE Systems acquires Eurostep to deliver advanced digital asset management
BAE Systems has acquired Eurostep, a secure data sharing company headquartered in Sweden. The company will form part of BAE Systems’ Digital Intelligence business.
The acquisition is the next evolution in an established relationship between the two companies which have worked together for many years. The agreement brings together complementary capabilities in digital asset management, enabling defence and heavily regulated customers to optimise the operation, costs and through-life support of complex assets. More via BAE Systems
Transport minister given JCB pothole fixer demo
Transport Minister Mark Harper has been given a live demonstration of a machine which is helping fix Britain’s roads and the scourge of potholes.
The Minister was shown the JCB Pothole Pro during a visit to the company’s Derbyshire engine plant and saw for himself how the machine repairs a pothole in less than eight minutes – four times quicker than standard methods. The demonstration came just days after the company announced it had won its biggest order yet for 50 Pothole Pros from one of the country’s largest hirers, Dawsongroup, for deployment with councils up and down the country. More via JCB
Pontyclun-based Concrete Canvas exports set to hit £15m
An award-winning South Wales manufacturing company is set to see its revenue from exports skyrocket to £15m after securing several deals following growing demand for its products across the globe.
Concrete Canvas, which manufactures innovative flexible concrete fabric, is on track to boost its exports by 20% to £15m by the end of this financial year, thanks to a string of international deals it has recently secured with support from the Welsh Government. More via The Manufacturer
Aston Martin reveals the world’s most bespoke, advanced and meticulously engineered road bicycle
Aston Martin and British titanium bicycle leader J.Laverack have united to create a road bicycle without equal; the J.Laverack Aston Martin .1R.
Developed with input from high-performance automotive designers, the .1R is the most bespoke, most advanced and most engineered bicycle ever created featuring a number of world firsts.
Synergising the shared values of the two high performance British brands, Aston Martin and J.Laverack have applied truly innovative design and engineering processes to produce a fully integrated ‘visually boltless’ design that possesses an aesthetic purity and obsession to detail beyond compare. More via Aston Martin
Airbus Helicopters and Naval Group test SDAM demonstrator from a French Navy frigate
Airbus Helicopters and Naval Group, in collaboration with the French Armament General Directorate, DGA (Direction génerale de l’armement), and the French Navy, have tested the SDAM demonstrator (Système de Drone Aérien Marine/ Naval Aerial Drone System) from a multi-mission frigate (FREMM).
The trials took place on board the French Navy frigate, Provence, in the Mediterranean Sea between the 2nd and the 9th of October. The vessel had previously been adapted by Naval Group to operate the SDAM. These sea trials were arranged to demonstrate the system’s high performance from an operational warship and the SDAM’s capabilities for surveillance and intelligence missions. More via Airbus
Digital Catapult’s SONIC Labs launches first outdoor Open RAN testing site
Digital Catapult, the UK authority on advanced digital technologies, in partnership with Ofcom and global collaborators Cellnex UK and Capgemini, has launched its first independent 5G SA (Standalone) outdoor field testing site for Open RAN technology. The outdoor testbed has been established after Ofcom granted Digital Catapult a special research and development licence, to encourage further Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN) experimentation.
Located in Hammersmith and Fulham, the outdoor facility will serve as a critical hub for the advancement and validation of Open RAN solutions in the capital, allowing vendors to rigorously test their products in a representative network deployment scenario. The new outdoor test site will be fully integrated with existing state-of-the-art indoor facilities and will provide a unique location to take product testing to the next level by simulating the typical challenges encountered in a real-world network. More via Digital Catapult
