GF Machining Solutions will be launching its CUT P series of wire EDM machines for the first time to UK and Irish audiences at its open house this week (9-11 May). The new CUT P range will replace the company’s CUT Sp and CUT mS series of wire EDM machines.
There are four sizes of machine in the CUT P series; the CUT P 550 will feature at the open house, which offers an X axis of 550 mm.
For further information www.gfms.com/uk
A UK aluminium casting foundry is celebrating its 50th birthday in style after announcing plans for a new £1.2m technical centre and machine shop. Wednesbury-based Alucast will start work on the new facility in June, which will house its existing CAD and Magma casting simulation facilities, non-destructive testing capabilities, and the firm’s new five-axis CNC machining technology. It is part of a strategy that will see the company target up to £3m of new ‘lightweighting’ opportunities for complex castings in the automotive and agricultural markets. As a result, Alucast will recruit another 20 employees to cope with planned expansion to £10m sales.
For further information www.alucast.co.uk
Press & Shear has concluded a sole agency agreement with Dutch machinery manufacturer Wemo, covering sales and service of its sheet metalworking production lines in the UK and Ireland. Wemo’s modular equipment includes punching, bending and joining lines fed with sheet metal coil, mostly designed and built to customer order, although standard products are also produced. Welding, clinching, cutting and other operations can be incorporated to suit user requirements. The automated lines are intended
for high-volume manufacturing applications in the electrical, storage, building, automotive and domestic-appliance industries.
For further information www.pressandshear.com www.wemomachines.com
Secretary of State for International Trade, Dr Liam Fox, recently opened the new factory, offices and demonstration suite at Swift-Cut Automation, a British designer and manufacturer of CNC plasma-cutting tables. During his visit, he spent some time discussing Swift-Cut’s growing success in the international export market. In just six years since Swift-Cut’s inception in 2011, the company now exports over 80% of its products globally.
Working closely with the Department of Trade, Swift-Cut has opened channel partners in 26 countries and, with the continued support of the government, is now successfully expanding into the USA. “Swift-Cut is exactly the sort of company we need to be replicating across the UK,” said Fox. “Success stories like this are flying the flag for British quality and expertise, bringing a boost to their local economies.”
For further information www.swift-cut.co.uk
Invest Northern Ireland is to increase its presence in the Middle East with a new regional manager based in Doha, Qatar. The announcement comes as Invest NI chief executive Alastair Hamilton (pictured left) visited the country to meet the UK Ambassador to Qatar, Ajay Sharma (right), and the Department for International Trade team.
“This new post in Qatar will strengthen the support we already offer in the IMEA region through our offices in Dubai and Jeddah. The new regional manager will have a specific focus on Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iran, where we see real potential for companies in Northern Ireland to grow their exports, particularly in sectors such as engineering and manufacturing.”
In the year up to December 2016, companies in Northern Ireland directly exported goods to the value of almost £29m to Qatar. Machinery and transport equipment accounted for the majority of this, at almost £16m.
For further information www.investni.com
