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.
EU approves Italian aid for $5.4 bln STMicro energy chip plant
The European Commission has approved Italian state aid for chipmaker STMicroelectronics to build a €5bn plant in Catania, Sicily, to make specialist microchips that boost energy efficiency in electric cars.
Chipmakers across the globe are investing billions of dollars in new plants, encouraged by rising use of semiconductors in everyday devices as well as US and EU subsidies aimed at keeping the West ahead of China in the race for cutting-edge technology. More via Reuters
Report into volatile energy pricing in UK manufacturing released
A new report has found a disconnect between the UK manufacturing sector’s views on volatile energy pricing and action taken on-site to address these concerns.
‘Energy on an Industrial Scale’, commissioned by Mitsubishi Electric, surveyed 200 senior decision-makers working in UK manufacturing about how the sector can increase its overall resilience. It found 91% of respondents expressed concern over energy price security and 85% were worried about grid resilience.
Despite this, only 24% of those questioned had a fully implemented on-site energy management system and just 27% employed a dedicated energy manager. According to David Bean, Business Development Group Manager at Mitsubishi Electric Automation Systems UK, the disparity in these statistics demonstrates a clear disconnect between thought and action to resolve an acute, ongoing and potentially worsening problem. More via Production Engineering Solutions
Data from BAE Systems TEMPO instrument is now publicly available
Residents and scientists across North America now have access to enhanced air quality data in their area following the launch of a publicly available data platform for the BAE Systems Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument.
The mission was developed as a collaborative effort between NASA’s Langley Research Center and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, part of the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and will serve as a major step forward in efforts to better understand and address air pollution issues throughout the continent. More via BAE Systems
Babcock and Hobson Industries partner to increase British Army’s equipment availability
Babcock and Hobson Industries, the engineering company, have signed an agreement to work together with the aim to resolve obsolescence in military Land Rovers.
Babcock provides the through-life support and management for 60% of the British Army’s vehicles, with a focus on providing innovative solutions to long standing supply chain challenges which routinely impact the availability of British Army vehicles such as the Land Rover Wolf platform.
Hobson Industries is an innovative and highly technical engineering business that specialise in the through-life support of the Land Rover Defender (Wolf) platform. This partnership draws upon the combined experience of our maintenance and repair capabilities, with Hobson’s subject matter expertise on the Wolf platform. More via Babcock International
Leonardo launches new localised maintenance service capabilities in the UK
Leonardo continues to expand the level of service proximity and capabilities in the helicopter market by launching new projects in the UK through a long-term partnership with Aldenham Aviation.
Starting with an existing building and infrastructure at London Elstree Aerodrome, operations target Part 145 maintenance capabilities to be in place within autumn this year. Further projects planned with Aldenham Aviation will increase this capability, all of which complement the existing service network and increase efficiency alongside our regional partners.
The new capability will act in strict coordination with Leonardo Belgium S.A. Logistics Centre, supporting the growing demand for Leonardo commercial helicopters in the UK and Ireland, particularly in the VIP-Corporate market where Leonardo is the leading OEM. More via Leonardo
Airbus delivers first Sentinel-5 instrument for satellite integration
Airbus Defence and Space has delivered the first Sentinel-5 instrument for the European Space Agency (ESA) that will be integrated on MetOp Second Generation Satellite A. The UVNS (Ultraviolet Visible Near-infrared Short-wave infrared Spectrometer) instrument will contribute to the improved monitoring of air quality, changes in the ozone layer, and emissions from wildfires.
Sentinel-5 is one of the so-called ‘atmospheric sentinels’ which are built to answer questions related to the composition of Earth’s atmosphere. Its mission is to globally monitor the distribution of atmospheric trace gases and aerosols (particulate matter) on a long-term operational basis in support of the European Union’s climate monitoring programme Copernicus. The programme is a joint initiative of the European Union and ESA. Both the spacecraft and the instrument will be operated by EUMETSAT, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. More via Airbus
