ROUND-UP MARCH 2020
In Brief
Industry
Progress at train factory
Siemens has released new
images of its state-of-the-art
rail manufacturing facility,
currently under construction
in Goole, East Yorkshire. The
£200 million, 55,000m2 factory
has been handed a £1.5 billion
contract to build new trains
for the Piccadilly Line on the
London Underground. The first
phase of the plant is due to begin
operations in 2023, and will
support 700 on-site jobs, plus a
further 1,700 in the supply chain.
Siemens Mobility
Schneider plants grow
Schneider Electric is to expand
its production facilities in
Leeds and Scarborough. The
multi-million pound investment
will see a 10% increase in
production at the Leeds site and
an additional 1,000m2 of space
at Scarborough to meet growing
demand from the renewables
industry. The Leeds factory will
also benefit from an innovation
hub for sustainable energy
management technologies.
Spirit opens new facility
Leading aerospace manufacturer,
Spirit AeroSystems, has
opened a new composite
manufacturing facility at its site
in Prestwick. The new factory
will be the home of high-volume
production of spoilers for the
Airbus A320 family of aircraft at
a rate of 7,000 per year, thanks
to state-of-the-art automation
and robotics technologies.
Brexit clarity
stabilises SMEs
The breaking of the
Brexit impasse has led
to a surge in confidence
among the UK’s SME
manufacturers,
according to the latest
national Manufacturing
Barometer report,
published by SWMAS
and partner Economic
Growth Solutions.
The previous edition
of the study revealed a
sector experiencing its
toughest quarter in
a decade, with more
small to medium-sized
manufacturers seeing
a reduction in sales,
profits and staff
numbers than in any
period since 2009.
However, the latest
edition of the report
has seen a marked uplift
in confidence among
SME manufacturing
firms following the start
of the UK’s withdrawal
from the EU.
Almost half (46%) of
respondents say they
are more confident
about their prospects
than in Q1 2019, with
22% feeling the same.
However, 32% admit to
feeling less confident.
Simon Howes, MD
of SWMAS, said that
“the foot is coming off
the brake” as a clearer
picture begins to
emerge around Brexit.
“The forecasts for the
first six months of 2020
are starting to look
much more positive,”
he continued. “We are
not yet at the end of the
road regarding Brexit,
but it seems that we
have at least decided
which road we are
going to take, so our
manufacturers can
begin the journey.”
People
Alok Sharma MP has
been appointed Secretary of
State for Business, Energy &
Industrial Strategy in PM Boris
Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle,
replacing Andrea Leadsom.
Sharma will also chair
COP26, the UN climate
change summit taking place
in Glasgow in November.
Jack Welch, the legendary
former chairman of General
Electric whose leadership
techniques helped turn the
company into America’s most
valuable firm, has died at the
age of 84. His books, including
Winning and Straight from the
Gut, are still cited as valuable
guides for aspiring managers.
Health & Safety
De La Rue fined £300k
Paper milling company, De La
Rue, has been fined £300,000
after a worker suffered lifechanging
injuries after getting
his head caught in a machine.
The employee was helping
colleagues remove paper from
the machine at the company’s
factory in Bath when it moved
unexpectedly, trapping him
between the machine and the
base of a fixed guard.
Study focuses on culture
Risk management provider,
Alcumus, has launched a free
guide for manufacturers to
outline how businesses can
improve safety culture and
encourage awareness across
their organisation. Called
How to manufacture a positive
health and safety culture, the
report helps organisations
better understand their
health and safety obligations.
Hot topic
Ibstock Brick is to invest £45 million in
re-developing and expanding its existing
Atlas brick factory in Walsall, with the
project to be commissioned in 2022.
Read our interview with Ibstock on p24.
Training & Skills
Uni invests in engineering
A £17 million, three-storey
building housing cutting-edge
laboratories and facilities
including a 3D lecture theatre
is at the heart of major plans
to expand the engineering
department at Lancaster
University. Work on the
2,700m2 building is set to
begin in the spring, with
completion expected in the
summer of 2021.
Assystem’s jobs drive
The world’s second-largest
nuclear engineering company,
Assystem, is aiming to recruit
400 new engineers to work
on a series of nuclear power
projects, including Hinkley
Point C and a network of 15
compact power stations under
development by Rolls-Royce.
Blackburn-based Assystem
is also launching a graduate
recruitment programme.
Ibstock Brick
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