ROUND-UP MARCH 2019
In Brief
Business
JCB to sponsor UK F1 team
JCB has announced a major
partnership with a new British
motor racing team as the
company continues to expand
its presence in global markets.
The partnership with SportPesa
Racing Point F1 team (formerly
Force India) will see prominent
JCB branding on the two cars
driven by Lance Stroll and Sergio
Perez from the fi rst Formula
One race in Melbourne in March.
Amy Best
Successful Experience Day
MM hosted a well-received
Experience Day event for
nearly 30 delegates at Siemens
Congleton last month. The
day began with speakers from
Siemens, introducing what they
do at the factory and across
the business. The theme of the
event was the impact of Industry
4.0 on lean operations. During
the day, attendants toured
the factory, seeing Siemens’
own virtual reality cave, and
how technology is helping the
company drive effi ciency. A
particular highlight for many
was seeing Siemens’ continuous
improvement boards, open and
available for the whole factory
to write suggestions on.
WMG founder passes away
Professor Lord Bhattacharyya,
who founded the Warwick
Manufacturing Group (WMG)
in 1980, died on Friday 1 March
aged 78 following a short illness.
He has been described as “a force
of nature” by the university.
SMEs looking for
home comforts
Economic conditions
mean manufacturing
SMEs are taking
significant risks as they
move their supplier
base out of the EU and
invest precious cash
reserves in stockpiling
raw materials,
according to the latest
UK SME Manufacturing
Barometer, the
quarterly insight into
the SME manufacturing
sector from SWMAS
and Economic Growth
Solutions.
While forecasts
were largely down on
previous surveys, some
key trends have
emerged, which UK
industry is well-placed
to capitalise on.
Over a quarter (27%)
of those surveyed said
they were considering
relocating supply
currently sourced in
the EU to elsewhere.
Nearly 20% of this
figure said they could
instead seek these
suppliers in the UK.
There is more
opportunity for the UK
too with 8% of UK SME
manufacturers saying
they could relocate
suppliers currently
based outside the EU
to the UK.
“The finding that
nearly a third of
respondents say
they’re looking to
move suppliers to the
UK also suggests a
significant opportunity
for the UK market to
capitalise on meeting
the supply needs of
home-grown
manufacturers,” said
Simon Howes, CEO of
Exelin Group (of which
SWMAS is part).
People
Tim Waples has been
named the new chief
executive of the Fork Lift
Truck Association. One of his
most pressing challenges will
be to drive the recruitment
of apprentices to the
materials handling industry
and encourage ever-greater
upskilling of existing staff .
Investment
Global contract for YASA
Oxford-based electric
motor manufacturer, YASA,
has signed a long-term
innovation contract with
a global automotive OEM.
The partnership will focus
on harnessing YASA’s
expertise to develop custom
electric motor and controller
solutions for the OEM’s highperformance
hybrid and pure
electric vehicles.
Rolls-Royce has announced
a record number of places
for its 2019 apprenticeship
programme. The 31 recruits
will work at the company’s
factory in Goodwood, West
Sussex, where they will learn
a set of bespoke technical
skills. Stand-out applicants
will join in August this year.
Automotive deal renewed
Engineering giant, Ricardo
has renewed its seven-year
engine supply deal with
McLaren Automotive. The
new contract, the largest
ever signed by Ricardo,
confi rms the Shorehambased
company as supplier
of engines to McLaren
in support of its Track25
business plan to build 18 new
models or derivatives by 2025.
Hot topic
Manufacturing output growth slowed
in the quarter to February, while order
books improved slightly, according to
the latest monthly CBI Industrial Trends
Survey of over 360 manufacturers.
Skills & Training
Apprenticeships valued
A study conducted by CVLibrary
has revealed that over
three quarters (77.8%) of
manufacturing professionals
would choose to do an
apprenticeship over studying
for a degree, with 66%
believing that apprenticeships
boost a person’s career
prospects. 92.5%, however,
think more needs to be done
to promote such schemes.
New Provost at NMiTE
The New Model in Technology
& Engineering (NMiTE),
the project to create the
engineering university of
the future in Hereford, has
appointed Professor Martin
Gillie as its new Provost
& Chief Academic Offi cer.
Previously at the University
of Warwick, Professor Gillie
will be taking the lead on all
academic matters at NMiTE.
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