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.
Hundreds of workers protest as job cuts loom
Hundreds of Tata Steel workers have held a protest march as the threat of job losses looms over thousands of their colleagues. About 400 people marched along Aberavon seafront in Port Talbot on Saturday morning as uncertainty swirls around the future of the town’s steelworks.
Unions claim Tata planned to close the bulk of its operations there. The firm was due to make a statement on the future of the plant earlier this month, but that has been postponed. Paul Taylor, 42, who has worked at Tata for 24 years, said the impact would be “terrible” if jobs were lost or the plant – the UK’s biggest steelworks – is closed. More via The BBC
Cable manufacturing factory secures £9m
Scottish high voltage direct current cable (HVDC) manufacturer, XLCC, has received a £9 million grant from Scottish Enterprise to advance its £1.4 billion Hunterston cable manufacturing facility.
With planning approval from North Ayrshire Council, the site is poised to employ up to 900 highly skilled workers. XLCC aims to establish the UK’s first HVDC factory, addressing the growing global demand for efficient electricity transmission via subsea connectors.
Adrian Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer of Scottish Enterprise, said: “XLCC’s plans for Hunterston have the potential to be transformational for the regional economy and an extremely important addition to Scotland’s offshore renewables capability.”
Councillor Marie Burns, Leader of North Ayrshire Council, said: “This is one of the largest ever investments in Scotland and the significance of this development cannot be overstated.” More via Energy Live News
Industry veteran joins Pragmatic’s top team
Pragmatic Semiconductor has hired semiconductor industry veteran Shane Geary as Senior Vice-President, Manufacturing & Operations. Shane succeeds Ken Williamson to lead Pragmatic’s Operations and Manufacturing divisions with immediate effect.Williamson has taken another key role at the company.
Shane has more than 25 years leadership experience in semiconductor technology, manufacturing and operations. Previously, he held several positions at Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) where he was most recently Vice-President of Manufacturing Operations and Technology. More via Business Weekly
Chancellor expected to announce Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism in Autumn Statement
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to introduce a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in his Autumn Statement later this month (22 November).
Under a CBAM, additional taxes could be placed on imported products that are made using highly polluting processes, partly to safeguard domestic industry from goods produced in countries with less stringent environmental standards.
According to the FT, insiders said the expectation was that CBAM would be in the Autumn Statement, but could slip to the Spring Budget next year, as Whitehall negotiations continue. More via Institute of Export & International Trade
