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.
MPE awarded with the King’s Award for Enterprise
MPE is one of only 148 organisations nationally to be recognised with a prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise. Announced in April, MPE was been chosen for its excellence in innovation, with only 47 organisations nationally being recognised within that specific category. Director Paul Currie will be presented with the award at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday 27 June.
Founded in 1925 and employing 60 people, MPE is privately owned and conducts the research, development and manufacture of high-performance electrical filters for the protection of mission-critical applications in defence and aerospace as well as key public utilities and financial infrastructure. MPE’s latest innovation of many is a world first – high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) protection filters certified to the new defence standard Mil-Std-188-125-1A. Read more via The Manufacturer
Spotlight on challenges, risks and opportunities in RS’ 2023 Maintenance Engineering Report
At a time of unprecedented challenges facing maintenance engineers in a turbulent climate, it’s pertinent to get a snapshot of the state of play for the profession – effectively taking the pulse – to find out what are the issues most affecting maintenance engineers across a variety of industries.
The Industry in Motion 2023 Maintenance Engineering Report was compiled by RS Group in conjunction with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), based on survey responses from almost 700 IMechE members from the UK and Ireland. It has highlighted some top challenges, risks, and opportunities. Read more via The Manufacturer
A boost in UK medicines manufacturing could attract £15bn in investments
A new report from the medicines manufacturing alliance has found that if the UK is to realise its ‘life sciences superpower’ ambition, it must not only discover and develop new medicines, but must also manufacture a significant share of them too.
The report from the Medicines Manufacturing Industry Partnership (MMIP), entitled Follow the green, high-tech road: A path to UK growth, net zero and health resilience from innovation in medicines manufacturing, reveals how, with the right policies in place, the UK could attract £15bn in company investment over ten years and create more than 116,000 new jobs.
Medicines manufacturing is the largest economic contributor within the UK life sciences sector, according to MMIP, providing almost 45% of the £36.9bn delivered by the life sciences industry in 2019, compared to 13% from research. However, the UK’s position as a manufacturing leader has declined in recent years, the alliance said, and a formerly strong trade balance has become a deficit. Read more via PMLive
BAE Systems secures major contract with Korea Aerospace Industries
BAE Systems has won a contract to adapt a new mine disposal system using Archerfish for Korean Aerospace Industries, as part of the development of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy’s new anti-mine helicopter fleet.
Already in service with the US Navy, Archerfish is a remote-controlled underwater mine neutraliser that is launched and operated from surface ships, underwater vehicles and helicopters. Under the £7.4m contract BAE Systems will provide a complete mine countermeasure capability along with engineering expertise and support to Korea Aerospace Industries and Republic of Korea Navy. Read more via BAE Systems
China’s first helicopter flight using sustainable aviation fuel
An Airbus H125 helicopter belonging to State Grid Space Technology Co (SGST) has successfully used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for a flight demonstration at Hefei Shiwan Airport in China. This is the first helicopter flight using SAF in China, marking an important milestone in the development of low carbon aviation in Chinese aeronautics. The H125, which is powered by a Safran ARRIEL 2D engine, flew at a hybrid ratio of 40% of SAF provided by CNAF (China National Aviation Fuel).
“The success of this flight is of great significance to stimulate SAF promotion and its application,” said Du Guihe, Board Chairman of SGST. “It makes a positive impact on the enterprises which are proactive on low-carbon general aviation development. It is also a breakthrough for China’s general aviation industry to better implement carbon emission reduction in the post-pandemic era.” Read more via Airbus
Ford opens new EV centre in Cologne
Ford today opened the Cologne Electric Vehicle Center, a hi-tech production facility in Germany that will build Ford’s new generation of electric passenger vehicles for millions of European customers. Ford has transformed its historic plant in Niehl, Cologne – founded in 1930 – as part of a $2bn investment which represents a major vote of confidence in skilled German manufacturing jobs and the future of automotive production in Europe.
Designed to be highly efficient, the 125-hectare site is equipped with a brand-new production line, battery assembly and state-of-the-art tooling and automation, enabling an annual production capacity of 250,000+ EVs. Following the success of Mustang Mach-E, E-Transit and F-150 Lightning, Ford recently unveiled its fourth EV globally, the electric Explorer, which will be the first electric vehicle produced in Cologne, followed by a second electric vehicle, a sports crossover. Read more via Ford
UK space weather forecasting capabilities given a boost
UKRI’s SWIMMR programme has recently launched UKRI SWIMMR-1, its first radiation monitor, to low Earth orbit, enhancing UK space weather capabilities. The Space Weather Innovation, Measurement, Modelling and Risk (SWIMMR) programme is a five-year, £20m investment by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Strategic Priorities Fund.
UKRI SWIMMR-1, Hardpix, procured from the Czech Technical University, was launched from Vandenberg Air Base, California, aboard the D-Orbit satellite carrier ION SCV011. It is part of a rideshare mission called Transporter 8, launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Read more via UKRI
New toolkit to help manufacturers cut time and cost from product testing
The High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult is releasing new tools to accelerate the UK’s capabilities in Certification by Analysis, and help engineers and manufacturers cut development costs and time to market for products.
Certification by Analysis is the use of digital technologies and data-led processes such as simulation and modelling to reduce the amount of physical product testing required for product certification – a traditionally costly and time-consuming process. It involves new approaches to the validation and regulation of complex products, not the ‘digitisation’ of existing processes.
The toolkit is the product of a collaborative three month programme led by a broad team of experts from across industry, regulation, academia and the HVM Catapult and funded by a £950,000 grant from Innovate UK. Read more via HVMC
JCB engineer braves searing heat in charity run
A JCB engineer braved searing heat to run a half marathon – raising more than £4,000 to say thank you to hospital staff who saved his son’s life. Andrew Johnson, 45, of Alton, pounded the streets of Stoke-on-Trent at the Potters ‘Arf marathon to raise funds for Manchester Children’s Hospital where his six-year-old son Charlie was treated after a series of life-threatening strokes.
And he smashed his original charity target of £1,500 by raising a stunning £4,200 during a race when temperatures soared to 27°C. Andrew finished the course in 2 hours 19 minutes and 8 seconds and son Charlie, wife Julia and daughter Isabella were in Hanley to welcome him over the finish line. Read more via JCB
