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.
UK Manufacturing PMI: Industry downturn continues into Q2 but business optimism remains steadfast
The UK manufacturing industry’s downturn continued at the start of quarter two, with output and new orders both contracting, yet manufacturers remained optimistic about the year ahead, according to the latest S&P Global / CIPS UK Manufacturing PMI®.
April saw the seasonally adjusted UK Manufacturing PMI hit a three-month low of 47.8, down slightly on March’s reading of 47.9 but above the previous flash estimate of 46.6. Read more via The Manufacturer
Dyson to build new factory in Singapore and expand in UK and Philippines
Dyson has revealed plans to build a new battery factory in Singapore, alongside investments by the maker of vacuum cleaners and dryers in technology centres in the UK and the Philippines.
The company, run by the billionaire Sir James Dyson, said the investments in Bristol in the UK and Santo Tomas in the Philippines would be worth £100m and £166m respectively. The Singapore investment will be significantly larger. Read more via The Guardian
Green jobs boom highlights skills shortage in workforce, research reveals
More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of business leaders believe that the country is heading towards a green skills shortage.
A poll of 500 business decision makers found 57 per cent believe these specialised skills are important to their business – but many are struggling to find skilled staff, particularly in areas of sustainable engineering and sustainable finance.
To plug this gap, more than one in four (27 per cent) are actively identifying opportunities and anticipating future business needs. Read more via The Manufacturer
BAE Systems and Eaton collaborate on electric drive solutions for commercial trucks
BAE Systems, a leader in electric propulsion, is collaborating with Eaton, a global power management company, to develop electric vehicle (EV) technology solutions. Through a memorandum of understanding (MoU), the companies will initially offer a solution for the medium-duty commercial truck platforms market, with a Class-7 pickup and delivery demonstration vehicle in development.
As part of the collaboration, BAE Systems will incorporate its power-dense electric motor and advanced silicon carbide/gallium nitride power electronics suite with Eaton’s MD 4-speed EV transmission to provide a comprehensive EV system for medium-duty vehicles, such as those used for a variety of pick-up and delivery applications. Read more via BAE Systems
East Lancs-owned company launches aerospace engineering jobs partnership
A new partnership between Blackburn-owned IN4 Group and The North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA) will directly pathway more than 160 people from all backgrounds to job opportunities with employers from the aerospace engineering and manufacturing supply chain in the North West.
The collaboration will support people with the training and development for the most in-demand tech skills and provide them with access to career opportunities in the 125-plus companies that are part of NWAA’s membership network – including Rolls Royce, BAE Systems, Safran, and MBDA. Read more via Yahoo! News
Airbus delivers first protected-wounded transport container to German Armed Forces
Airbus Defence and Space has now handed over the first of 13 protected-wounded transport containers (GVTC) to the German Armed Forces. From now on, their medical personnel will use them to save lives: In the containers, they can safely transport the sick, injured and wounded to hospitals or field hospitals – and even provide medical care while doing so. Read more via Airbus
IBM to pause hiring for jobs that AI could do
International Business Machines Corp. Chief Executive Officer Arvind Krishna said the company expects to pause hiring for roles it thinks could be replaced with artificial intelligence in the coming years.
Hiring in back-office functions — such as human resources — will be suspended or slowed, Krishna said in an interview. Read more via Bloomberg
Footprint Tools is striking a hammer blow for metals recycling
Footprint Tools – one of the leading manufacturers of traditional hand tools in the UK – is at the heart of a research project that could see Sheffield spark a recycling revolution in industrial forging that unlocks a step change in the manufacture of safety critical components for the aerospace, defence and energy sectors using machining waste and state-of-the art linear hammer technology. Read more via The Manufacturer
