Economic & Monetary Union, yes/no; manufacturing execution systems; ozonedepleting
solvents drive cleaning developments; tool selection made easier;
Cincinnati Milacron boosts output; Matsuura machine tools to be made in the UK
october 1995
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Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), or the single European
currency, today’s Euro precursor, is the subject of our rst
issue’s comment. To join EMU or not? Seeking comment from
an export-oriented machine tool industry managing director, he said
he would answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ just as soon as someone explained it
to him. Following that encounter, the EEF published a 16-page
booklet detailing pros and cons, but no conclusion. Machinery had
already offered its opinion ahead of this in its Machinery Classifi ed
publication. Drawing on information and expert opinion of the day, as
an engineering magazine, we looked for a pragmatic, fact-based
solution. We suggested adopting the Maastricht criteria that de ne
economic convergence necessary for EMU and making the Bank of
England independent (required only within EMU), because only then
could a sensible choice be made about its effect and whether joining
EMU or not would be best. Not adopting these measures leaves
open politically motivated interest rate manipulation and pro igate
government expenditure, we said, adding that it would also allow the
UK to continue its historical approach to remaining competitive,
currency devaluation. But this approach was founded on EMU
requirements being sensible. An article in The Economist later
highlighted that they were otherwise. We concluded that this
apparent poor foundation just adds further to the confused state of
affairs that our managing director found himself in and that any
attempt at EMU will open the project up to failure,
which would then taint any future move in this
direction. (In 2005, the UK will fail Gordon Brown’s
ve economic tests for Euro adoption. The
2008 nancial crash will strain Eurozone
countries, and in 2016 the UK will vote to
leave the EU, which it has, but is in the
transition phase till year end).
Our second comment this month is
on a new computer system acronym –
MES, meaning ‘manufacturing execution
system’. MES provides a two-way connection between MRP and the
resources required to deliver the production plan. A complete MES
with all functional elements cannot be sourced from a single
company, but adoption of a standard communications architecture
allows one to be built. Integration of non-conforming systems that
might t the MES mould are not cost-effective, we are told. We said
readers should expect to see more mention of MES in Machinery in
future, but the acronym is still not commonly used in this country.
In news this month, as legislation looms to outlaw ozonedepleting
solvents at the end of 1995, we have news of UK company
Vixen’s own-developed citrus-based solution, Tristar. And fellow
degreasing equipment maker Turbex, another UK rm, has
introduced a series of front-loading aqueous degreasing units.
Sandvik Cormant’s Corokey concept, which has the Tool Selection
Guide at its core, offers a step-by-step tool selection process. The
system links to a series of inserts developed in support, plus Insert
box labelling that re ects the same underlying nomenclature and
application data. In other tooling-related news, Spanish broaching
machine/broach tool maker Ekin has established a UK base.
Re ecting the fact that Cincinnati Milacron is seeing its vertical
machining centre manufacturing operations in Birmingham boom off
the back of growing international sales, UK machine tool maker
Asquith Butler has delivered a VNG Starcut, travelling-gantry, vertical
ram-type machining centre to the rm. More UK machine tool
industry good news comes from Matsuura Machinery Corporation of
Coalville, Leicestershire, which is to commence machine tool
building, shipping rst units in August 1996.
In features this month: a metalworking and forming special
report; modern mould tool making at Ak-U-Rite; Delcam’s new
PowerMILL software; a Jones & Shipman pro le, which is now “a
totally different company”, reorganised and with new products; a visit
to South Korea’s Hyundai, for whom Dugard had just become UK
representative; Dormer’s new PFX drill; and an overview of the UKbuilt
low-cost SuperSwift multi-slide CNC auto. ■
Key Events
Singer Cliff
Richard
knighted
PA
Regormark /stock.adobe.com
John Stillwell/PA Archive/PA Images
French woman Jeanne
Calment reaches 120 years & 238 days;
oldest person ever recorded
Rugby League world cup,
Australia beat England
16-8 at Wembley Stadium
oct 95
O. J. Simpson found
not guilty of double
murder of former
wife Nicole Simpson
& Ronald Goldman
Alec
Douglas-Home,
British PM
(Con: 1963-64),
dies, 92
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10 Film
“Se7en” 7premieres
in New York
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