ROUND-UP APRIL 2019
In Brief
Investment
TCE announces EFW plant
One of Europe’s largest energy
from waste (EFW) plants is set
to be opened by Tata Chemicals
Europe (TCE). TCE has secured
£480m in funding to build
the new facility at its existing
Lostock factory in Northwich,
Cheshire. When complete in
2023, it will divert 600,000
tonnes of waste from landfill
and generate enough electricity
to power 125,000 homes.
Distell International
£10m distillery investment
A three-year refurbishment
programme has begun at the
Bunnahabhain Distillery on
the Scottish island of Islay, as
its owners, spirits and wine
producer Distell International,
invests £10.5m in an extensive
upgrade and refresh of the iconic
site (above). A number of the
distillery’s original buildings
will be carefully restored, while
others will be removed and
relocated to create more space,
allowing for better operational
flow across the facility.
125 jobs at bacon factory
Northern Irish bacon
manufacturer, Finnebrogue, is
to create up to 125 jobs at a new
factory in Downpatrick. The
company has recently enjoyed
a £17m investment to build the
plant, which will specialise in
the production of Finnebrogue’s
revolutionary nitrite-free bacon.
The new jobs will be filled by
2022, with 30 already in place.
Battersea deal
for flue maker
Nottinghamshire-
based A1 Flue Systems
has secured a multimillion
pound contract
to manufacture nine,
100-metre tall
chimney systems
that will be installed
inside two of the four
iconic chimneys at
Battersea Power
Station in London.
The UK marketleader
in the design,
manufacture and
installation of
commercial and
industrial chimney,
flue and exhaust
systems, A1 will act as
a subcontractor of Vital
Energi, which is the
main contractor for the
supply and installation
of the energy centres
as part of the site’s
redevelopment.
The installation of
the chimneys and the
flue systems is set to
be completed by
October this year.
The signing of the
agreement comes a
decade after A1 Flue
Systems first started
discussions with the
Battersea Power
Station Development
Company about
chimney systems for
the Grade II*-listed site.
“We are thrilled to
have signed the
agreement to provide
the systems that will be
installed in two of the
chimneys as part of the
redevelopment of the
site of the world-famous
Battersea Power Station,”
said A1 Flue Systems’
director, John Hamnett.
“Securing the project is
testament to the
brilliance of all 140
people who work at A1.”
People
Labour turnover in the
sector has increased for
the second successive year,
according to a Make UK
survey. Turnover – the number
of people leaving companies
through resignation,
redundancy, retirement or
dismissal – rose to 14.4% in
2018, up from 13.2% in 2017.
The majority of UK
businesses are unprepared
for recruitment following
Brexit. Research by law firm
Shakespeare Martineau found
that 76% of UK mid-market
businesses have no funds
in place for post-Brexit
immigration, with 41% seeing a
drop in skills since March 2017.
Advanced Manufacturing
Plans emerge for IAMP
A planning application has
been submitted for a 125,000ft2
manufacturing and innovation
facility that will lie at the
heart of the new International
Advanced Manufacturing Park
(IAMP) in Sunderland. IAMP
will provide more than 7,000
new manufacturing jobs for
the region in the next 10-15
years, along with over £400m
in private sector investment.
Scots lead in R&D spend
Record amounts are being
spent on research and
development by Scottish
industry, according to the
latest Scottish government
statistics. Gross Expenditure
on Research & Development
(GERD), a key measure of
innovation, saw around £2.5bn
spent in 2017, up 8.3% on the
previous year. The UK as a
whole saw GERD rise by 2.8%.
Hot topic
Over 1.5 million people in England are at
high risk of losing their jobs to automation,
according to a new ONS study. People
aged 16-24 are most at risk, with almost
16% of that age bracket set to be affected.
Training & Skills
Promoting STEM in Leeds
Around 50 manufacturers
in Leeds have launched a
campaign to showcase the
industry to the region’s
school children. The Leeds
Manufacturing Festival,
which runs until October,
brings together schools,
colleges and businesses in
the city to provide tours,
taster days and activities
for over 10,000 youngsters.
AME set for £5m boost
A centre for training the next
generation of engineers has
received a £5m in funding to
enable its expansion. A new
building at the Institute for
Advanced Manufacturing
and Engineering (AME) in
Coventry is set to open later
this year, along with further
investment at the site into
robotics, automation and
digital technologies.
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