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briefs
Made Smarter funding boosts tech adoption
Crystal Doors of Rochdale was among the manufacturers to secure funding
for technology projects
Manufacturers supported by Made
Smarter - the movement helping
SMEs join the Industry 4.0
revolution - are forecasting the
creation of more than 750 new jobs
from £12.6m of technology
investment.
Since launching two years ago,
the North West technology adoption
pilot has worked with 1,131
businesses to help them introduce
digital tools and technologies to
help boost productivity and growth,
and navigate Covid-19.
542 manufacturers have
SARGINSONS INVESTS
Midlands lightweighting specialist
Sarginsons Industries said
investments made this year
should lead to growth in 2021.
The Coventry-based rm has
invested in technology and
people despite the challenges of
Covid-19 and has been winning
new contracts.
Managing director Anthony
Evans said diversi cation and
increased consultancy activity
through the Sarginsons
Technology Centre could be the
catalyst for growth in 2021.
He added: “New business
opportunities increased during
the second half of the year, both
in terms of series demand,
prototype builds and our ability to
offer Design for Manufacture
(DfM) capabilities. This is an area
that we believe will become even
more popular in the future.
“We took the opportunity to
strengthen our MagmaSoft
modelling capabilities, with
online coaching and the
investment of £100k in a
MagmaStress stress seat and
further MagmaSoft technology.”
He said enquiry levels for
complex chassis systems have
been “extremely high” and has
initiated an advanced research
programme via Design of
Experiments in conjunction with
Brunel University, to enable it to
develop high ductility alloys to
meet the OEMs’ demand levels
with our sandcast prototype
processes.
Evans added: “Capital
investments have also continued
in metallurgical, metrology and
automation programmes.
“Next year will see Sarginsons
embark on a further Catapult
R&D programme with Brunel
University and Shef eld
University, which will be focused
on aerospace and high integrity
aluminium castings.”
received intensive support including
expert, impartial technology advice,
digital transformation workshops to
help rms take their rst steps to
transform their business, a
leadership programme and funded
digital technology internships.
126 businesses have secured
£3.2m matched funding for 155
projects which are worth £12.6m
after private sector investment.
These technology adoption
projects are forecast to deliver an
additional £118.9m in gross value
added (GVA) for the North West
economy over the next three years,
create 761 new jobs, and upskill
1,585 existing roles.
Some manufacturers are
developing projects using
technologies which enable them to
integrate systems, capture and
analyse data, and even create
simulations of their plants and
processes. Others are using
3D-printing, automation and robotics
to solve business challenges and
meet increased demand.
Over 80% of SMEs working with
Made Smarter to adopt cutting-edge
technologies have seen a boost in
productivity and more than 25%
reduced their carbon emissions.
Businesses will also bene t from
increased revenue, pro ts and
exports and lower energy bills.
Juergen Maier, chair of Made
Smarter, said: “I am delighted to see
the positive impact that Made
Smarter’s adoption pilot is having on
individuals, businesses, the
environment, and the UK economy.
“In the tumultuous times we face,
it can be tempting to simply cut costs
rather than invest. Yet, in the long
term, this approach runs the risk of
businesses getting left behind.”
Thales Alenia Space to build ‘comet chaser’
British engineers at Thales
Alenia Space are to start work on
a new spacecraft dubbed the
‘comet chaser’ that will wait for
passing comets then chase them
down and map their surfaces in
three dimensions.
The mission will record details
of the comets’ contours and the
composition of the dust and and
gases released and involve three
spacecraft that will work together
to complete the mission.
The mothership, to be built in
the UK by Thales Alenia Space,
will hold two smaller robotic
probes from Japan that can be
released near the target comet for
extremely close y-bys.
These probes will then
beam images and other
data back to the
mothership.
Thales Alenia Space
has been selected by
the European Space
Agency (ESA) to lead
one of two parallel
studies for the Comet
Interceptor mission.
The ‘comet chaser’ will
launch in 2028
The mission will launch in
2028 and wait in orbit for a
suitable target; the composite
spacecraft will travel together
before the three modules separate
a few days prior to intercepting
the comet. Each module will be
equipped with science
instruments, providing different
perspectives of the comet’s
nucleus and its gas, dust and
plasma environment.
6 January 2021, issue 1 - Machinery Classifi ed
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