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.
Keeping hold of good people is a critical priority for manufacturers – Make UK report
A new analysis of shift premia and benefits carried out by Make UK reveals that retention of good people has become easier for manufacturers in the last 12 months.
But this change has been largely because of a willingness from companies to invest in their workforce to keep people on the payroll. Manufacturers are rewarding their staff for different shift patterns, extra responsibilities and additional hours, as well as giving more to support new parents and those suffering from ill-health. More via The Manufacturer
SpOTTO the robot dog joins BMW’s Hams Hall plant
A four-legged robot named “SpOTTO” recently joined the team at BMW Group Plant Hams Hall in the UK. The autonomous robotic dog scans the plant, supports maintenance and ensures production processes run smoothly.
Equipped with visual, thermal and acoustic sensors, SpOTTO is deployed in a number of unique use cases: On the one hand, it collects valuable data for the plant’s digital twin; on the other, it serves as a watchdog, overseeing maintenance of production facilities. More via BMW Group
Cybertruck’s UK tour set to boost Tesla’s profile
Electric vehicle brand Tesla is hoping to boost its profile in the UK this month through a nationwide tour with its Cybertruck.
Although the distinctive and rugged battery electric pick-up truck is not yet destined for sale in the UK, Tesla is taking it on a Cybertruck Odyssey to high footfall locations in the UK, as well as some Tesla dealerships. More via AM Online
Manufacturers falling short on supply chain transformation – report
The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with global consultancy Kearney, has released a new White Paper exploring the actions manufacturing leaders are taking to redesign their global value chains along key trends that are reshaping those and transforming manufacturing systems. More via The Manufacturer
Caravan manufacturer Erwin Hymer sees losses grow amid difficult market
A North East caravan manufacturer which announced nearly 200 job losses in a difficult market has published results which show growing losses.
Consett-based Erwin Hymer, which makes the Xplore, Elddis and Buccaneer caravan brands, said earlier this year that it was looking to cut 191 posts in a bid to reduce overheads in a declining market. The company had employed more than 500 people at its Delves Lane operation. More via Business Live
Coleraine manufacturer secures planning approval for £10m factory expansion
Coleraine-based manufacturer Maine Surface Finishing has secured planning approval for a new £10 million facility.
A specialist provider of steel fabrications, protective coatings and final assemblies to the north’s equipment manufacturing cluster, the company was founded in 1997 by Eugene Dixon.
Maine Surface Finishing’s plan for a new factory complex at Wattstown Business Park was originally announced as part of an Invest NI-backed expansion four years ago. More via The Irish News
New car market growth continues despite declining private demand – SMMT
UK new car registrations grew for the 21st consecutive month in April, rising by a modest 1.0% to reach 134,274 units, according to the latest data published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). As a result, this was the market’s best April since 2021, although uptake was still -16.6% below the pre-pandemic level in what is traditionally a low volume month following the March plate change. More via SMMT
DS Smith invests €6m in machinery for packaging facility
DS Smith, the leading fibre-based sustainable packaging company announces an investment of €6m in its La Chevrolière facility located near to the city of Nantes in the West of France.
The investment has allowed the company to expand the size of the production space in La Chevrolière by 4,000 square metres and has been made in response to an increasing demand for sustainable corrugated cardboard by existing and potential DS Smith customers in the region. More via The Manufacturer
