JULY/AUGUST 2019 ROUND-UP
Did you hear... The best soundbites from around the industry
“The UK has the raw materials, scientific research in its universities and
an existing supplier base to put itself at the leading edge of mobility.”
Dr Ralph Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, explains why the company has chosen
its Castle Bromwich plant as the home of production for its electric vehicles
Pic of the month
“The sector’s strength is slowly slipping away, deprived of the oxygen of
a reduction in Brexit uncertainty and an associated return of confidence.”
Duncan Brock, group director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply,
bemoans June’s PMI figures, which fell to 48.0 – the lowest level for 76 months.
Pre-production has started at Aston Martin’s new factory in St Athan, South Wales.
Construction of the 90-acre, former MoD site – the company’s second production facility
in the UK – began in 2016. Later this year it will become home to the full-time manufacture
of the DBX model, Aston Martin’s first foray into the lucrative global SUV market. To
date, the opening of St Athan has created 200 jobs and is expected to create as many as
550 more. In addition, as many as 3,000 jobs are likely to be created across the supply
chain and local businesses. St Athan has also been named as Aston Martin’s ‘home of
electrification’, as the company explores cutting-edge automotive technologies. Aston
Martin president and chief executive, Andy Palmer, paid tribute to the senior manufacturing
team at St Athan, saying they had done an “outstanding job” in getting the site ready.
JCB sets tractor
speed record
A secret JCB project
has set a new British
tractor speed record.
The Fastrac tractor
hit 103.6mph at
Elvington Airfield, near
York, with TV presenter
and engineering guru
Guy Martin behind
the wheel. It smashed
the previous record of
87.27mph set in March
2018 by Track-Tor,
developed by BBC
TV’s Top Gear.
A crack team of
JCB engineers worked
to develop the recordbreaking
tractor.
“We’ve long
harboured a dream to
attempt a speed record
with the Fastrac and
the whole team has
worked tirelessly to
achieve this amazing
result,” said Lord
Bamford, chairman of
JCB. “I’m extremely
proud of what they
have achieved in such
a short space of time.
It is British engineering
at its best and it really
does highlight the skills
and innovation we
have in our engineering
team. They have done
a truly fantastic job.”
Institute of Productivity set to open at UEA
A £7.4 million Institute of
Productivity will be built at the
University of East Anglia (UEA).
The centre, which has been
developed in conjunction with
UEA staff and students and
local businesses, will help the
university create a regional hub
for engineering, technology and
management, with a longer-term
vision to establish a dedicated
School of Engineering by 2021,
educating the next generation
of engineers: almost 1,300 will
enrol in the first five years.
The Institute of Productivity
will have workshops dedicated
to advanced robotics, a 3D
printing studio, a digital design
lab and a shared studio space.
The initiative will help to
create an additional 35 highly
skilled jobs within the university
and regional businesses.
“This is an important step in
making sure that Norfolk and
Suffolk businesses can continue
to grow and compete within the
UK and internationally,” said
Chris Starkie, chief executive
of New Anglia Local
Enterprise Partnership,
which has awarded a
£4.5 million grant for the
Institute. “Our region’s
manufacturing sector is
worth £5.2 billion and it
underpins productivity and
innovation in other sectors.
Therefore, it is essential
to keep investing in this
sector to ensure our region
benefits from the potential
business and investment
opportunities.”
Aston Martin Lagonda
www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk 7
JCB
/www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk