Daily Manufacturing News Digest – the industry stories you should be aware of today

Posted on 25 Apr 2023 by The Manufacturer

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.

Productive Machines raises £2.2m Seed round for machine tool AI

Productive Machines, an artificial intelligence (AI) startup from The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), announced today that it has raised £2.2m in Seed funding to make its advanced machine tool process optimisation technology available to a far wider range of manufacturers worldwide. Read more via The Manufacturer

Shortage of water could be the next crisis for the car industry, warns Seat boss

Severe shortages of water could be the next ‘crisis’ to face the automotive industry, the boss of Seat and Cupra has warned.

Europe had its driest summer in 500 years in 2022, and with minimal rainfall over winter, many governments have warned of critical shortages. While many consider the impacts on farming and landscapes, the water used in manufacturing is often overlooked. Read more via Car Dealer Magazine

Aston Martin strengthens industrial and electrification leadership with new senior appointments

Aston Martin has strengthened its industrial and electrification expertise with the appointment of four new senior positions to support the company’s continued transformation. Read more via The Manufacturer

Ballygowan mineral water to be produced using 100% renewable electricity harnessed from wind energy

Britvic Ireland and Flogas Enterprise have announced a new Customer Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA) that will ensure that Ballygowan, Ireland’s iconic water brand, is produced using 100% renewable electricity harnessed from wind energy.

This is the first Irish-based CPPA of its kind with a drinks brand in Ireland, and will allow Britvic Ireland to fund electricity generation at Sonnagh Old Wind Farm in Moneylea Co. Galway, producing enough electricity on an annual basis to power their production facility in Newcastle West Co. Limerick and 75% of the company’s total electricity requirements. Read more via Britvic

Biden-Harris Administration announces $82m investment to increase domestic solar manufacturing and recycling

As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the US Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $52m for 19 selected projects, including $10m from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to strengthen America’s domestic solar supply chain, and $30m in funding for technologies that will help integrate solar energy into the grid. Read more via US Department of Energy

Volkswagen Group delivers 42 per cent more all-electric vehicles in the first quarter

The Volkswagen Group successfully continued its transition to electric mobility in the first quarter of 2023. By the end of March, deliveries of all-electric vehicles (BEVs) have risen by 42 percent compared to the prior-year period, which was hit harder by supply chain issues. A total of 141,000 BEVs were handed over to customers, up from 99,200 in the first quarter of 2022. Read more via Volkswagen