Tuesday 2 December 08 - 04:34
 

Industry News

  • 'Polish Connection' for Barton Cold-Form and Brandauer

    Two automotive suppliers from the West Midlands have joined forces to make the most of a multi-million pound opportunity in Poland. Barton Cold-Form, a producer of high quality specialised metal and alloy components, has signed an agreement with presswork specialists Brandauer to showcase their joint expertise to the emerging market through the use of a dedicated sales representative and office. 

  • Blueprint for industrial success

    A new guide from Cambridge University  warns that “offshoring” and “lean thinking” are not sufficient to guarantee futures of major manufacturers. It says that many of the world’s biggest manufacturing firms could be missing out on “breathtaking” benefits because their production networks are not designed to suit 21st century demands. 

  • New show for micro manufacturing industry

    Rapid News Publications has announced the launch of MM Live 2008, a show exclusively designed for the micro manufacturing industry. Taking place at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, on 21 and 22 October 2008, MM Live will provide design engineers and micro manufacturers from all industry sectors with a dedicated source of information to help advance the use of existing and emerging technologies. 

  • Pressworker adds space for growth

    Tier 2 automotive component manufacturer West Bromwich Tool & Engineering Co Ltd has purchased an additional 26,000 sq ft of manufacturing space adjacent to its existing facility on Oldbury Rd Industrial Estate.  

  • Amfin seals off solvent emissions with EVT degreaser

    Abbey Metal Finishing Company Ltd (Amfin) has responded to the Solvents Emissions Directive (SED) legislation by installing an EVT hermetically sealed solvent degreasing system.  Environmental Manager Graham Vaughan said, “ The EVT system gave Amfin the best chance of compliance with the SED requirements while offering excellent degreasing results at a very competitive price.” 

  • Southern Manufacturing puts spotlight on oversees sourcing

    Global trade is now a fact of life for the majority of manufacturing and electronics SMEs in the UK. Taking advantage of the burgeoning production capacity in Asia can bring huge competitive advantages, and many of the exhibitors at Southern Manufacturing and Electronics are now actively sourcing products and services in this way.  

  • Reverse engineering fills gaps in press tool records

    Robin Chisnall set up CS-Products Ltd in 2000 to provide a tooling maintenance and repair service to local industry. It has since expanded to include the design and development of prototype and production tooling, components and equipment. Just over a year ago the Telford-based company invested in a digitiser, having identified a requirement for the ‘reverse engineering’ of tooling and components.  

  • Tool vending speeds deliveries at Ravenscourt

    As Ravenscourt Engineering developed into one of the South West’s major aerospace suppliers, with customers like BAe, Agusta Westland, Goodrich, Dowty, Marconi and Boeing, it found it was experiencing problems with tooling particular jobs because nobody took charge of the ordering process. 

  • New base for Precision Micro

    Precision Micro, the Birmingham based precision component manufacturer, has relocated to a new, purpose built manufacturing facility near Fort Dunlop, close to the M6. The new 44,000 sq. ft. plant, completed on time and the company believes it is the only purpose built photo-etching facility in Europe. It says the entire project was focussed on providing a better, more efficient and more cost effective service for customers. 

  • Bends in all the right places

    When a leading supplier of moulded electrical components for diesel engines needed to manufacture a precision plug assembly using wire pins, it turned to the design and application engineers at William Hughes to provide an accurate and cost effective solution. The special plug is used in the engine management system and the components needed to be resistant to vibration and high temperatures, whilst providing a reliable electrical contact.  

  • Caparo targets the top in India

    Global technology company Caparo used this year’s Auto Expo exhibition in New Delhi to underline its aim to be India’s largest automotive technology supplier by 2009. Taking part in the event for the first time, the company also used the event to showcase its T1 supercar – a head turning track-biased production car that combines Formula 1 and road-car technology. 

  • $26 million boost for MFG.com

    MFG.com, has announced that it has received $26 million in financing to help strengthen its position as the largest global online marketplace for the manufacturing community. The funds will be utilised for MFG.com's continued global expansion, technology development, creation of new online services and potential acquisitions. 

  • Photo-machined precision parts in 48 hours

    Tecan can now offer a 48hr turnaround service for burr and stress free photo-chemical machined (PCM) or 'photo-etched' metal parts. Low tooling costs and rapid turnaround are particularly beneficial elements of this proven process, where virtually all designs are easy to tool - and in all cases tooling modifications are a simple CAD-to-plot process.  

  • Tooling know-how cuts cycle times at Walker Precision

    Walker Precision Engineering Ltd has built an enviable reputation as a leading Glasgow subcontract manufacturer by making intricate components on high specification machine tools. To reduce lead times for its customers and increase capacity it works closely with tooling supplier ITC to cut cycle times. 

  • Qualtronic expands 5-axis capability

    Qualtronic has added a full 5-axis Matsuura MAM72-25V twin-pallet VMC to its machining capability and can now take on contracts that it would previously have had to turn away. On of these is for the production of a surgical instrument used to perform tracheostomies.  

  • MTA backs Government Skills agenda

    The Manufacturing Technology Association (MTA) is to push 100,000 of funding into supporting apprenticeships and put its weight behind the Governments Skills Pledge. MTA President signed the Skills Pledge in front of Minister for Skills, David Lammy at the Associations Annual Gala Dinner. 

  • Grinding investment boosts aerospace production

    Midlands precision engineering specialist, Burcas, has boosted productivity by investing £300,000 in a Kellenberger grinding machine. This further strengthens its aerospace machining section, which specialises in the manufacture and subcontract machining of large, highly complex critical components and precision tooling. 

  • Retreat from offshoring aids Ladbrook

    Pressed metal parts specialist Ladbrook says that increased turnover an newly-won customers made 2007 its best ever year. An important factor in this success was the number of companies that have tried sourcing from China and the Far East but now  want the close communication and control that comes from dealing with a  UK supplier.  

  • Moulding project cuts cycle times

    The final European Hipermoulding project meeting, held in the Netherlands, saw the launch of the new HIPERMOULDING software for thermal management in injection moulds. This R&D project, led in the UK by the GTMA, has proved very successful and the new software is showing an impressive reduction in cycle times. 

  • Expanded kitting service from Blue Diamond

    Blue Diamond Technologies is expanding its kitting service for engineering assemblies and components. It now provides kits for a wide range of business suppliers including office equipment, automation equipment, industrial/commercial pumps and white goods. The kits are usually based on one or more Blue Diamond manufactured components, together with related parts that are packaged together into a complete set. 

  • Is in-house deburring worth the effort?

    A set of Excel spreadsheet-based tools from Deburring Centre allows users to calculate the benefits of subcontract deburring. The ideas of sub-contract and deburring are not common bed fellows, says the company, but when multi-axis machines are installed and the deburring bench becomes a bottleneck, the usual answer is to take on more labour 

  • International emerging markets: South Africa

    South Africa – Alive With Possibility. That’s the tagline from the South African government’s equivalent of our UKTI. Its natural resources are abundant – and the Chinese are buying-up as much as they can to fuel the Chinese economy. Being the leading producer of gold, platinum and manganese in the world, with huge deposits of chromium, coal, iron ore, tin, diamonds and copper to name the most mined, South Africa is a leading mining equipment user and massive steel producer; but it lacks oil and bauxite, so energy and infrastructure development must nearly all be imported. Opportunities abound. 

  • International emerging markets: South Africa

    South Africa – Alive With Possibility. That’s the tagline from the South African government’s equivalent of our UKTI. Its natural resources are abundant – and the Chinese are buying-up as much as they can to fuel the Chinese economy. Being the leading producer of gold, platinum and manganese in the world, with huge deposits of chromium, coal, iron ore, tin, diamonds and copper to name the most mined, South Africa is a leading mining equipment user and massive steel producer; but it lacks oil and bauxite, so energy and infrastructure development must nearly all be imported. Opportunities abound. 

Stevens Rowsell is a specialist precision sheet metal engineering company in East Sussex