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.
Britain gets back in the driving seat with more than a million EVs on the road
More Britons are getting back into the driving seat following the pandemic, according to new annual Motorparc data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), with the number of cars in use on UK roads in 2022 rising by 124,393 units to a total of 35,148,045.
Despite the overall increase in vehicles on the road, average car and van CO2 emissions have fallen by -1.6% – driven by the influx of new lower and zero emission models. Read more via The Manufacturer
UK factory orders contract again but price pressures ease – CBI
British factory orders and output contracted as stocks of finished goods piled higher, according to a survey on Tuesday that underlined the recent weak performance of the manufacturing sector but also pointed to easing inflation pressures ahead.
The Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) monthly gauge of industrial orders held at -20 in April, unchanged from March’s reading that had marked a more than two-year low. Read more via Reuters
Aviva invests £20m into low carbon housing manufacturer TopHat
Aviva Capital Partners (ACP), Aviva’s capital unit, is investing £20m into TopHat, a business manufacturing low carbon modular homes using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). This equity funding will support TopHat’s major new factory in Corby, and the creation of 1,000 new jobs. The factory, anticipated to operate from summer 2024, will be capable of manufacturing 4,000 ultra-low carbon homes a year and will be Europe’s largest modular housing factory. Read more via Aviva
New degree apprenticeship launched to boost skills in nuclear
Aspiring nuclear engineers and scientists have a new route into careers in low-carbon energy, with the launch of a degree apprenticeship delivered by the University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre.
The Nuclear Scientist and Nuclear Engineer Degree Apprenticeship has been developed with the support of the Nuclear AMRC and industry partners including the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), Westinghouse, Rolls-Royce, Sellafield and Jacobs, to produce graduate professionals who can work across the UK’s current and future civil nuclear programmes. Read more via The Manufacturer
Car parts giant mulls US move over green subsidies
The boss of a major UK manufacturing firm has told the BBC he is considering moving investment to the US or Europe due to new subsidies offered there.
John Neill, who runs parts and logistics giant Unipart, said he wanted to invest in Britain but UK companies could not “compete on a level playing field”.
The US is spending billions of dollars to support makers of electric vehicles, green energy and microchips through loans and tax breaks. Read more via BBC News
Tesla gives update on battery degradation: only 12% after 200,000 miles
Tesla has released a rare update on the battery degradation in its electric cars. The automaker claims its batteries only lose about 12% of capacity after 200,000 miles.
Battery degradation, which represents the loss in capacity and range over time with increasing mileage, is one of the biggest concerns of new electric vehicle buyers. Read more via Electrek
New training launched to boost potential of UK hydrogen
The HVM Catapult has launched a series of open access awareness modules to increase understanding of hydrogen across multiple sectors and stimulate the UK’s transition to a hydrogen-based economy.
The HVM Catapult’s seven research and innovation centres have jointly developed a series of online modules: Hydrogen Awareness: Make it, move it, use it. Funded by Innovate UK, the UK’s national innovation agency, the modules are available now. Read more via HVMC
Door and window maker doubles growth after Made Smarter support
A door and window manufacturer has doubled its growth and created 15 new jobs after investing £50,000 in technology, with the help of Made Smarter.
With the support of the Made Smarter North West adoption programme, Door and Window Systems (DAWS) has created create a digital roadmap and invested in a software solution to manage customer interactions and sales, and secondary software to integrate with production and dispatch. Read more via The Manufacturer
