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.
UK government releases Battery Strategy
The UK government has published its first ever Battery Strategy, outlining how it intends to facilitate the growth of a domestic battery industry, including a globally competitive battery supply chain by 2030.
The government says the Battery Strategy is designed to help “grow a thriving battery innovation ecosystem and become a world leader in sustainable design, manufacture, and use”. More via The Manufacturer
IEA Energy Efficiency 2023 Market Report
Energy Efficiency 2023 is the IEA’s primary annual analysis on global developments in energy efficiency markets and policy. It explores recent trends in energy intensity, demand and efficiency-related investment, policy and technology.
This tenth edition of the market report also features a new spotlight section, focused on key issues facing policy makers this year. In particular, the report details what is entailed with the proposed global target to double energy efficiency progress and what will be gained by achieving it.
This year’s report comes amidst the ongoing effects of the energy and climate crises in what is expected to be the hottest year on record. In this context, 2023 global energy efficiency progress, as measured by primary energy intensity, is expected to be slightly below the long-term trend in a slow down from 2022. More via IEA
UK Auto manufacturing charges up with £20bn investment boost in 2023
The UK automotive industry has attracted approximately £20bn in private investment in 2023, according to the latest calculations by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) – meaning this year has seen more investment announced than in all the years back to 2016 combined.
On top of industry’s backing for new and upgraded R&D and manufacturing facilities, last week the government committed a further £2bn for the sector, backed by an Advanced Manufacturing Plan and battery strategy that will drive green economic growth and create jobs across every part of the country. With almost a million people directly relying on the sector for their livelihood, and millions more benefiting from the mobility it provides, the importance of the UK automotive industry to the economy has never been more evident. More via SMMT
Joint funding for new co-centres on climate and sustainable food
Joint funding of £60m has been announced to bring academics, industry and policymakers closer to collaborate on food sustainability and tackling climate change.
This will include collaboration between the Irish government, UK government and the Northern Ireland government departments. More via UK Research and Innovation
Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines power Virgin Atlantic’s world first 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel flight
Flight100, the world’s first 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) transatlantic flight by a commercial airline, has successfully flown from London to New York.
The Rolls-Royce Trent1000 powered Virgin Atlantic 787 took off from Heathrow earlier today and successfully landed at JFK Airport.
The flight marks a world first on 100% SAF by a commercial airline across the Atlantic. The milestone flight was made possible by a Virgin Atlantic-led consortium, including Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Imperial College London, University of Sheffield, ICF and Rocky Mountain Institute, in partnership with Department for Transport. More via The Manufacturer
Babcock increases support on UK’s Dreadnought programme
Babcock has been awarded two further contracts for work on the UK’s new Dreadnought Class submarine worth a combined £120m.
This includes a 4.5 year £66m contract with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to provide input into the development of the support solution for the UK’s new Dreadnought Class submarines. The new Class of submarine will replace the Vanguard Class in the early 2030s to maintain the Continuous At Sea Deterrent. More via Babcock International
ADAC HEMS Academy and Airbus Helicopters plan to establish new simulation training centre
During European Rotors, Airbus Helicopters and ADAC HEMS Academy announced the establishment of the joint venture HMotion, a new simulator training centre for the H135 and H145 family helicopters. HMotion will offer a wide range of cost-effective training courses for helicopter personnel, including mission and critical flight training. Subject to approval by the relevant regulatory authorities, it is expected to be operational in early 2024. More via Airbus
UK automotive industry pledges to address diversity shortfall
Some of Britain’s biggest automotive companies have today pledged that women will represent 30% of their workforce within the next six years, in a bid to drive gender diversity across all roles and levels.
The commitment by the Automotive Council, whose members represent 99% of British vehicle manufacturing and half of the UK’s automotive workforce, is a significant short-term challenge given that just under 20% of the sector’s workforce is today female. 1 For an industry that prides itself on innovation but which must address some fundamental changes in terms of technology, skills and disruption, fixing this shortfall is essential if it is to have future success. More via The Manufacturer
Project OdySSEy to form backbone of new military training collaboration
BAE Systems, PLEXSYS and Red 6 have agreed to explore the integration of Red 6’s augmented reality headset technology and immersive simulation from PLEXSYS into BAE Systems’ single synthetic training environment. They will use BAE Systems’ Project OdySSEy, combined with Red 6’s Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality Systems (ATARS) technology and the Advanced Simulation Combat Operations Trainer (ASCOT) from PLEXSYS.
The agreement, announced at the global simulation and training exhibition I/ITSEC 2023 taking place in Orlando, Florida, will see them use the latest technology and decades of working alongside the world’s leading military forces to deliver the training required for warfare today and into the future. More via BAE Systems
