Features

Finance for growth – can we bank on it?

Posted on 6 Aug 2010 by The Manufacturer
Industry and government have accused banks of starving small businesses of funding and making a private-led recovery from recession impossible. The banks say the money is there to borrow but there is little demand and even less viability. Mark Young weighs up the arguments.

Weight + timescale + cost

Posted on 6 Aug 2010 by The Manufacturer
Design constraints sharpen leadership Motorsport design has been pushed to excel by the intense delivery constraints of the sport and the physical stress to which the components are subjected. Clever design engineers, digital product development that avoids prototypes and powerful PLM software are keeping motorsport the leading industry for design-to-manufacture, says Will Stirling.

Reckless petrolheads or efficency trailblazers?

Posted on 6 Aug 2010 by The Manufacturer
When Toyota withdrew from Formula 1 in November 2009, it was not the first manufacturer to sever its previously strong ties with motor racing. Since 2008, some of the biggest automotive names have dropped out of motorsport in a difficult economy and with rising concerns about the environmentally-unfriendly image of the sport. Tim Brown reports.