ROUND-UP JULY/AUGUST 2020
InBrief
Industry
Dräger to open PPE plant
PPE specialist, Dräger, has
announced the construction of
a new mask production facility
at its existing site in Blyth,
Northumberland, to help fulfi l
a £90 million order from the
UK government for respiratory
protection masks to combat
the coronavirus pandemic.
The company’s four other PPE
plants globally will also enjoy
signifi cant investment.
IAMP
IAMP becomes Nightingale
The newly opened Innovation
Centre (above) at Sunderland’s
International Advanced
Manufacturing Park (IAMP) has
been converted to house the
North East’s NHS Nightingale in
a matter of weeks. Post-COVID,
IAMP will provide R&D and
training facilities for advanced
manufacturers, especially
around digital manufacturing.
Landmark MINI Electric
The 11,000th all-electric MINI
has rolled off the production line
at Plant Oxford, just a year after
the model was fi rst introduced.
Production of the MINI Electric
is fully integrated the existing
process at Oxford, running down
the same line as the combustion
engine models. The line is able
to fl ex its electric capacity as
needed. Increasing demand
means that the company
estimates a third of all threedoor
MINIs sold next year to
be electric models.
COVID recovery
funding for SMEs
SME manufacturers
across England have
been given a £6.5
million funding boost to
help them recover from
the COVID-19
pandemic and address
key barriers to growth.
The Manufacturing
Growth Programme,
which is funded by
ERDF and delivered by
Oxford Innovation
Services, has been
extended until
December 2022 and
will give a further 2,800
companies access to
industry experts and
grants to tackle
immediate business
issues and support
improvement plans.
This additional
backing will safeguard/
create 3,500 jobs and
takes the total package
of support the initiative
is able to deliver to
£18.3 million across 17
regions, with businesses
in Sheeld able to
apply for the first time.
Firms are given
access to a dedicated
local Manufacturing
Growth Manager to
develop an individual
action plan and support
business projects,
including green
improvements,
leadership and
management, quality
and supply chain
development.
Since its launch in
October 2016, the
Manufacturing Growth
Programme has helped
over 3,000 SME
manufacturers, adding
tens of millions of
pounds to the economy
and creating over 4,100
jobs, plus safeguarding
thousands more.
Business
The Purchasing Managers
Index (PMI) hit a 17-month
high of 53.3 in July as the
industry began to recover from
the coronavirus lockdown.
The reading was revised down
from an original estimate
of 53.6, but still marked a
signifi cant upturn in fortunes
when compared to the dire
readings of previous months.
Output growth and business
confi dence performed
especially well, although
employment in the sector
fell for the sixth consecutive
month. Rob Dobson, director
of survey compilers IHS
Markit, warned of a “long and
precarious” road to reovery.
Supply chains
Exports hit record low
UK manufacturing exports
fell to a record low of 34.6
between April and June 2020,
according to the Lloyds Bank
International Trade Index. The
fi gure represents a dramatic
decline from 46.8 in Q1 2020.
The previous record low of 38.8
came in 2009. A reading below
50 signals a reduction in new
export orders, while a reading
above 50 shows growth.
New supply chain debate
The latest MM Live Panel,
sponsored by Sage, explores
whether UK manufacturing is
over-reliant on complex, global
supply chains, which have
been hugely disrupted during
the coronavirus pandemic.
Editor, Chris Beck is joined by
experts from across industry
for the debate. Watch the
event on-demand for free at
https://bit.ly/31wwyHU
Hot topic
The government is now paying employers
£2,000 for every new apprentice aged
18-24 they take into their business, and
a £1,500 bonus for companies that hire
apprentices aged 25 and over.
Training & Skills
Apprentices still popular
Employers are still investing
in apprenticeships despite
the pandemic, according
to leading West Midlands
training provider, In-Comm
Training, which has released
23 new vacancies for young
people and mature workers
looking to train across various
disciplines of engineering,
from toolmaking to lean, and
admin to warehousing.
£
15,000 job applications
Pioneering advanced
engineering company, Lontra,
has been overwhelmed with
over 15,000 job applications
just weeks after securing
funding to open a new
assembly line in Tyseley,
Birmingham. Lontra’s
revolutionary compressor
design has seen the company
forecast to be worth around
£600 million by 2024.
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