Machine tool orders soar in Germany

In the third quarter of 2017, order bookings in the German machine tool industry rose by 13% compared with the previous year’s equivalent period. Domestic orders were up by 31% and exports by 5%, while in the first three quarters of 2017, total order bookings increased by 3%.

“The gratifying upturn in our orders is even more marked in the most recent figures,” says Dr Wilfried Schäfer, executive director of the VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association). In September, orders in all three categories showed a double-figure rise, thus recording the steepest growth of the year to date. Domestic orders, in particular, witnessed a dramatic climb, soaring by 46%.
For further information www.vdw.de

£3.4m taken at Citizen open house

Within a couple of hours of Citizen Machinery UK opening the doors for its ‘Technology Days’ open house, the directors of Ilkeston-based subcontractor Adams Engineering (pictured) ordered a Citizen Cincom L32 VIII sliding-head turn-mill centre to increase its installed base of Citizen machines to five. Adams Engineering employs seven people and supplies sectors that include medical, mining, automotive, rail and HVAC. “We have grown on the back of our Citizen installations, which give us reliability, consistency of production, and support and service when we need it,” says director Scott Burrows.

Over the three days of the event more than 300 people attended Citizen’s UK headquarters near Watford, with 18 orders placed worth in excess of £3.4m. Seven of the machines sold feature the company’s patented Low Frequency Vibration
(LFV) technology.
For further information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Dedicated Industry 4.0 sheet-metal event

A number of companies from across the UK sheet-metal industry are set to host an event dedicated to technology that can facilitate the implementation of Industry 4.0. Taking place on 29-30 November at Yamazaki Mazak’s European Technology Centre in Worcester, the ‘Sheet Metal 4.0’ event will see a selection of companies and industry experts come together to showcase technology which can unlock the next generation of sheet-metal production as part of a connected factory infrastructure.

Participants include: tooling specialist Mate Tooling Solutions; CADCAM software expert Radan; sheet metal supplier and service provider Press-Form; as well as used machine suppliers JTES and MSS Lasers. Thanks to the collaboration between these suppliers, there will be a number of sheet-metal cutting and peripheral machines on display, along with technical presentations, machine demonstrations and factory tours running throughout the day.
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk/sheetmetal

SolidCAM moves technology centre

SolidCAM UK Ltd, the UK reseller of the SolidCAM and InventorCAM CADCAM software suites, has relocated its technology centre to a more spacious workshop within the premises of Alimex UK Precision in Aluminium Ltd, based in Stonebridge, Milton Keynes.

The decision to relocate came about due to the success of the SolidCAM’s ‘Total Manufacturing Solution’ seminars, which were held throughout this year. The practical shop floor environment will continue to benefit UK customers, partners and resellers attending training and education workshops.
For further information www.solidcamuk.com

£4m training hub opens

A £4m state-of the-art training hub was officially opened earlier this month with bosses urging other manufacturers to step forward to avoid a skills drain caused by the uncertainty of Brexit. The Marches Centre of Manufacturing & Technology (MCMT), which is run by a consortium comprising Classic Motor Cars, Grainger & Worrall, In-Comm Training and Salop Design & Engineering, was unveiled in front of 250 people with many delegates receiving their first glimpse of the 36,000 sq ft facility.

Managing director Matthew Snelson used the event to issue a rallying call for more firms to work together in a bid to stop ‘cannibalising’ the pool of industry talent in the UK: “We need to flood the market with new talent and ensure there are enough individuals to satisfy the growth expectations of industry. There is an urgent need for more skilled labour and that is where we come in by creating a dedicated centre that will deliver more than ‘2020 learning opportunities by 2020’.
For further information www.mcmt.co.uk