50th
42
EMO Milan British presence; exports to China encouraged; toolmaker benchmarking;
Electrox & Cincinnati Milacron successes; Horn Cutting Tools established;
engineering institutions pull together
may 1995
This issue looks forward to the forthcoming biennial EMO show,
this year being held in Milan, as it will be 25 years on in 2020.
We are highlighting the attendance of 32 British machine tool
builders, but it is rather a drop in the ocean amongst the
1,500-exhibitor total. British machine tool production and trade
gures for the year just gone are little changed on 1993, but there is
an increasing share of CNC machine tools made, exported and
imported. And the UK machine tool industry draws political plaudits
for its improving export performance by nding new markets.
Perhaps no coincidence as the Department of Trade & Industry
(DBEIS today) is encouraging small- and medium-sized British
companies to boost sales to a growing Chinese market. China was
at that time responsible for just 3% of global trade, the US 25%; just
10 years later the gures were 15% each.
In our second issue this month, Japanese improvement
processes are very much in vogue, but we ask whether such tools
from the consensus-style Far East nation can be transplanted to the
UK with its more individualistic culture. We answer our own enquiry
by citing bearing expert RHP, recently acquired by Japan’s NSK and
where a new team-based culture has been developed alongside
successful application of Japanese techniques.
In news, the UK’s toolmaking sector is being encouraged to adopt
the GTMA’s World Class Toolmaking approach to help them become
more ef cient.
Electrox’s sales. And Birmingham-based Cincinnati Milacron is
celebrating a Queen’s Award for Export Achievement, for its Sabre,
Lancer and Arrow vertical machining centres. The company has 33%
of the UK market for such machines, too.
Master Chemical has bought coolant ltration specialist FSP, with
a new company, Hydro ow Europe, created. The focus for the
company will be solutions, not products, while it will stay focused on
its specialist area. Coincident is the launch of Star Filter, which is
already successful in the US. Capable of six-micron ltration at from
160 to 5,760 gallons/minute, it is retro ttable.
German grooving tool specialist Paul Horn GmbH has opened a
UK facility, in New Milton, Hampshire. It will offer technical support
and manufacturing capacity for modi ed standard tools.
The growth of computer applications is ever widening, with one of
the latest developments being jig and xture specialist WDS’ launch
of its Cadalog software. It gives CAD users fast access to the
company’s range of products in 2D digital form.
Big news for the engineering profession is that the 40
engineering institutions have agreed to participate in the
establishment of a new governing body. The existing Engineering
Council will be restructured and form, for the rst time, a cohesive
representative body. It will have two boards, one to regulate the
profession, the other to promote it. Today, the Engineering Council
sets and maintains internationally recognised standards of
professional competence and commitment.
In feature articles, we have: that EMO show preview plus
associated international machine tool industry reports for the UK,
Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, China and America; statistical
process control and its computerisation; case studies showing the
bene ts of machining centres; a pro le of rotor expert Holroyd; Rover
Group’s £3.25bn supplier spend tempered by supplier
rationalisation; control retro tting; threading technology; plus our
regular subcontracting supplement, which looks at Rover Group’s
activities in more detail.
▼
Key Events
Harold Wilson,
British PM
(Lab: 1964-70,
74-76), dies of
cancer at 79
▼ ▼ ▼
Blackburn Rovers
are FA Premier
League champions;
club’s rst
top division league
title since 1914
Everton win
FA Cup, 1–0
win over
Manchester
United at
Wembley
25years ago
Ultimate. Universal.
Ultra-quick. For more information: cutting.tools/en/silverline
The New Silverline – Now even better!
The ftieth
anniversary of
VE Day is
celebrated
across Britain
▼
Ziza /stock.adobe.com
d100 /stock.adobe.com
Sergey /stock.adobe.com
Brian Jackson /stock.adobe.com
rook76 /stock.adobe.com
600 Group’s Electrox
division, a laser marking
machine specialist, is
highlighting success with its
most recent device, the
NdYAG-based Scriba. Since
its launch in 1993, more
than 100 have been
delivered – Scriba
represents 50% of
may 95
Magnitude 7.0
Neftegorsk
earthquake,
Sakhalin Island
Russia; 1,967
dead, 750
injured
Future Australian ▼
cricket captain
Steve Waugh scores
career best 200
in 4th Test win
over West Indies
in Kingston, Jamaica
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