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.
Boeing says ‘cyber incident’ hit parts business after ransom threat
Boeing, one of the world’s largest defence and space contractors, has been investigating a cyber incident that impacted elements of its parts and distribution business and is cooperating with law enforcement probe to do so.
Boeing acknowledged the incident days after the Lockbit cyber crime gang said on Friday it had stolen “a tremendous amount” of sensitive data from the US company that it would place online if Boeing didn’t pay ransom.
The Lockbit threat was no longer on the gang’s website as of Wednesday, and it didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Boeing declined to comment on whether Lockbit was behind the cyber incident it disclosed.
“This issue does not affect flight safety,” a Boeing spokesperson said. “We are actively investigating the incident and coordinating with law enforcement and regulatory authorities. We are notifying our customers and suppliers.” More via Reuters
Vertiv invests in manufacturing facility in Northern Ireland, creates 200 jobs
Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, today announced that it is making a significant investment in a manufacturing facility in Campsie, Derry / Londonderry, creating approximately 200 skilled jobs and contributing to the Northern Ireland economy.
Supported by Invest Northern Ireland, Vertiv’s investment will further strengthen Northern Ireland’s highly developed and advanced manufacturing and engineering sector. More via The Manufacturer
JLR reports another strong quarter with best first half revenue and cashflow record
JLR has continued its strong performance of recent quarters with another set of positive results for the second quarter of FY24, as supply constraints continue to ease, enabling more vehicles to be delivered to clients.
Revenue in Q2 FY24 was £6.9bn, up 30% vs. Q2 FY23 and flat compared to Q1 FY24, impacted by the planned summer shutdowns. Revenues for the six months to 30 September 2024 were a record £13.8bn, up 42% from £9.7bn a year ago, due to increased volumes, improved mix and pricing. The higher revenue reflects higher wholesales of 96,817 in the quarter and of 190,070 in the first half, both up 29% year-on-year. More via JLR
£300m to launch first phase of new AI Research Resource
AIRR, a cluster of advanced computers for AI research, has received a £300m investment, to include a new Cambridge-based supercomputer.
The investment was announced by the UK Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary, Michelle Donelan, on the first day of the government’s AI Safety Summit. The AI Safety Summit considers the risks of artificial intelligence (AI) and discuss their mitigation through internationally coordinated action.
This triples the £100m investment outlined in the government’s 2023 Spring Budget to deliver a dedicated AI Research Resource (AIRR). This follows the recommendation by the Future of Compute Review, which was also announced alongside plans for a new national exascale facility. More via UK Research and Innovation
Made in Britain announces 2023 Impact Award winners
Made in Britain, the trade association uniting British manufacturers by their licensed use of the official Made in Britain collective mark, has announced the winners of its 2023 Impact Awards.
Made in Britain CEO John Pearce said: “We’re delighted that the second year of our Impact Awards has attracted such an inspirational number of nominations from across the UK manufacturing sector. Made in Britain is made up of remarkable British companies and it’s an honour to have brought together such an esteemed panel of judges to select those deserving of special recognition this year, across our ten 2023 Impact Award categories.” More via The Manufacturer
Roberts Bakery plans to open new biscuit production site
Cheshire-based manufacturer Roberts Bakery has announced plans to open a new site in Winsford.
The Winsford site, located four miles from Northwich, will house its Little Treats biscuit manufacturing business and will serve as a “Centre of Excellence” u2019 for biscuit production. More via Food Manufacture
Make UK joins forces with West Yorkshire Manufacturing Services (WYMS) to boost environmental and health & safety training in the North of England
The Manufacturers’ organisation, Make UK, is joining forces with West Yorkshire Manufacturing Services in Brighouse to bring the best in environmental and health and safety training to the North of England.
The collaboration between Make UK and West Yorkshire Manufacturing Services will come into force from 1 January 2024, when Make UK’s Health, Safety and Sustainability training will be added to the extensive offer already available, to support manufacturers and engineers at WYMS’ facility in Brighouse. More via The Manufacturer
Brussels Airlines takes delivery of its first Airbus A320neo
Brussels Airlines, Belgium’s national airline and member of the Lufthansa Group, has taken delivery of its first out of five new A320neo aircraft.
The A320neo is part of the airline’s fleet renewal strategy to operate the latest state of the art, efficient aircraft in order to meet Brussels Airlines’ ambitious sustainability targets. More via Airbus
Gripple Automation announces commercial partnership with OMRON
Gripple Automation, which designs and builds innovative manufacturing automation solutions for industry, has announced a strategic commercial partnership with OMRON, a leading technology provider in the industrial automation space.
This unique partnership provides customers with end-to-end robotic and automation solutions that encompass concept design and proof of principle, technical design specification, build and machine installation, plus aftercare service. More via Process and Control Today
