NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 ROUND-UP
Did you hear... The best soundbites from around the industry
“If there is a culture of success being measured on the hours you work, rather
than the work you do, colleagues will feel the need to mirror this behaviour.”
Debbie Bullock, wellbeing manager at Aviva, comments on a report that found that
two-thirds of professionals feel their weekends are cut short by anxiety about work.
Pic of the month
“We can now start to look to the future and build on the excellent work that Sir
William Wright and his family have done to develop the Wrightbus business.”
Jo Bamford, owner of Bamford Bus Company speaks following his company’s purchase
of Wrightbus, the Northern Ireland-based manufacturer of the iconic red London bus.
Say cheese! Wensleydale Creamery, famous for making the cheese beloved by Wallace and
Gromit, is investing in new equipment to increase production capacity following a £17.9 million
deal with HSBC UK. The business plans to increase production to significantly grow sales,
which will help to secure local jobs and ensure a sustainable future for the farms supplying
the Creamery. The deal, along with an EU productivity grant of approximately £800,000, will
enable the Creamery to help modernise its cheese-making facilities, with the purchase of
new vats, working tables and curd-handling equipment. Almost £1 million of the funding will
go towards a cheese blending and waxing facility, allowing the business to blend cheese more
efficiently with a state-of-the-art production line. “By investing in new, modern equipment, we
can improve our efficiency as well as improve process control with technical excellence,” said
Wensleydale Cheese managing director, David Hartley. “It puts us in a strong position to grow
the business and meet customer demand for our brand and products.”
Aurrigo tech
used in BA trial
British Airways is
trialling a British-made
driverless baggage
vehicle to transport
over 75,000 bags
around Heathrow
Airport on a daily basis.
The vehicle, also
known as a dolly, has
been designed and
built by Aurrigo, the
autonomous vehicle
division of Coventrybased
RDM Group.
Carrying up to 40
bags per journey, the
driverless dollies use
the latest navigating
technology to
memorise the airfield
to determine the
shortest route to
transport luggage.
Unlike the current
vehicles, Aurrigo’s
autonomous dollies
depart for the aircraft
as soon as each one
is full, speeding up
the aircraft loading
process.
“Our driverless pods
are now in operation all
around the world and
the trial shows how
similar technology can
be used in completely
different industries to
deliver significant
results,” said Aurrigo
CEO, David Keene.
Agreement signed for Scottish train factory
Spanish train manufacturer,
Talgo, has signed a framework
agreement with Scottish
Enterprise and Transport
Scotland to build a new stateof
the-art manufacturing site
in Longannet, Fife. The factory
aims to directly bring as many
as 1,000 highly skilled roles to
the region, as well as a number
of supply chain opportunities.
As part of the agreement,
Talgo UK will commit to deliver
contracts that the wider Talgo
company is currently bidding
for, as well as any future bids.
It also sets out each party’s
commitment to ensure that
the proposed multi-million
pound factory at Longannet is
prepared and delivered at an
agreed time and to an agreed
specification. The agreement
will ensure that Talgo will meet
contractual deliverables for
the contracts that are being
evaluated and proposed.
Talgo also aims to establish
a research & development
hub south of the border, in
Chesterfield, which will
help establish the UK as a
centre of excellence in train
design, manufacture and
maintenance.
“This milestone marks
a new phase in an excellent
relationship with ‘Team
Scotland’,” said Carlos
de Palacio y Oriol, Talgo
president. “Now let’s get on
with securing orders that
will bring more jobs and true
manufacturing of rolling
stock back to Scotland.”
HSBC UK
www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk 9
Aurrigo
/www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk