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.
Manufacturers accelerate ESG strategies as customer and supplier requirements increase
The UK has seen a 48% increase in the number of manufacturing firms setting ESG targets for their business, with around two thirds (62%) now doing so (since 2021), according to a report from Make UK and Lloyds Bank.
The in-depth report, which looked at the progress, opportunities and challenges faced by UK manufacturing firms looking to improve their ESG strategies, reveals that almost two thirds of UK manufacturers (61%) say they expect to expand the scale of their ESG strategy in the next two years. More via The Manufacturer
SMMT Chief Exec responds to UK EV milestone
Mike Hawes, Chief Executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), has issued a statement in response to the news that newly published SMMT figures showed Britain’s millionth battery electric car (BEV) joined the road in January – a milestone that’s been more than 20 years in the making. More via SMMT
Aston University student named top apprentice
An Aston University degree apprenticeship student has been announced as the winner of a national apprenticeship competition.
Billy Gamov, who is studying engineering and is due to graduate this year, has been named as the Alstom Apprentice of the Year 2024.
Alongside his studies he works full-time for the transport company as an engineering product delivery apprentice in York. More via The Manufacturer
Northern Ireland vehicle manufacturer searches for 80 apprentices as firm continues expansion
A Northern Ireland zero-emission transport manufacturer is planning to recruit 80 new apprentices as the business continues to expand in the UK and Europe.
Wrightbus, which developed the world’s first hydrogen double deck bus and the world’s most efficient battery electric double deck, is following National Apprenticeship Week with a special open night at its Ballymena headquarters in Northern Ireland. More via Belfast News Letter
Kellogg’s Trafford Park plant closure plan puts 360 jobs at risk
Hundreds of jobs are at risk at a Kellogg’s plant that is earmarked to close.
Kellanova, which owns the Greater Manchester Trafford Park plant, said the company could not see a “long-term future” for it.
There are about 360 jobs at the factory, which could be closed by 2026. More via BBC News
UK Space Agency gives £3.5m boost to in-orbit satellite repair and refuelling
Satellites approaching their end of life could be repaired or refuelled in orbit thanks to operations being developed and tested at facilities in the UK, which have benefited from almost £3.5m in new funding.
Announced on February 9, the UK Space Agency funding (UKSA) is aimed at prolonging the life of satellites “to ensure space remains sustainable for future generations”. More via IMechE
SeAH Wind’s £650m Teesside factory signs ‘major deal’ with Northern manufacturer
A successful Northern company is looking to expand further on Teesside after winning work on a ‘giant’ factory under construction at Teesworks.
Firth Steels has secured the deal to provide profiled steel for the £650m SeAH Wind monopile manufacturing facility at South Bank. More via Bdaily News
In-Comm Training and RTX’s Collins Aerospace take off with ‘fast track’ employment course
In-Comm Training has joined forces with one of Wolverhampton’s largest employers, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to help unemployed people into advanced manufacturing jobs.
The independent training provider, which operates two state-of-the-art technical academies in Aldridge and Telford, has created a fast-track employment course that will aim to create up to 65 new CNC machinists and electro-mechanical fitters for RTX’s Collins Aerospace factory in Wolverhampton. More via The Manufacturer
