Free skills support available in northeast

A package of free manufacturing training has been unveiled to help northeast enterprises and people at risk of redundancy improve their skills and open-up new job opportunities.

Gateshead College’s new Director of Business Development Ivan Jepson photographed at Gateshead College.
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Go>Grow is a regional skills and enterprise programme, which has been launched in partnership with 30 local training providers and comes on the back of £15m of funding secured by Gateshead College from the European Social Fund through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). The training is structured around a programme of courses for start-ups or small businesses looking to widen their skills base, or employers who want to upskill or strengthen their workforce.
For further information www.gogrow.org.uk

GF Machining to acquire Symmedia

In line with its strategy to digitalise the company’s offering, GF Machining Solutions has agreed to purchase 100% of the shares of Symmedia GmbH, Bielefeld, Germany. The privately owned company has been specialising in software for machine connectivity solutions for the past 20 years.

Symmedia today employs 60 people, while more than 15,000 machines in various industries worldwide have been equipped with its software. The company will continue to support and develop connectivity solutions for all types and all brands of machines and factory equipment, and continue to operate under current management from its Bielefeld base.
For further information www.symmedia.de

100+ budding engineers

Renishaw recently hosted two work experience weeks, with 95 students taking part in the company’s ‘Engineering Work Experience’ programme and 14 students attending the ‘Software Work Experience’ programme.

As well as participating in projects, the students were given tours of Renishaw’s Innovation Centre and a careers talk to open their eyes to the opportunities available in engineering and software, and where a career in these sectors could take them. Renishaw offered week long placements at its Wotton-under-Edge headquarters to students aged 15 to 17 from over 40 local schools.
For further information www.renishaw.com/careers

Stark plant

The Roemheld Group has opened a new Stark manufacturing centre in Rankweil, Austria. The 6000 sq m building houses the latest manufacturing equipment and systems, including new turn-mill centres, CNC grinding machines and a 3D measuring machine for use with large parts. From this factory, Roemheld will continue to develop its Stark zero point mounting range.

Terry O’Neill, managing director of Roemheld, says: “As manufacturers ourselves, we use our own zero point elements within our production plants, so we are well placed to understand the changing demands of the marketplace.”
For further information www.roemheld.com

Bystronic open house well attended

Nearly 100 people attended Bystronic UK’s latest three-day open house held at its Coventry showroom during September 2017. Visitors were able to see many of the latest technological advances from the Swiss company and witness presentations and practical demonstrations.

The event also allowed engineers to catch up on advances announced at Bystronic’s ‘Competence Days’ held in June at group headquarters in Niederönz. These included manufacturing software, MES, which is being developed in collaboration with Spanish company, Lantek; ByCockpit, an Industry 4.0-compatible app that monitors sheet metal machining processes in real time; a new rotary axis for processing tube on a ByStar Fiber flat-bed laser cutting machine; and Xpert 80, a new press brake that can be moved around a factory by fork lift truck, yet offers a bending capacity of 80 tonnes over 1.5 m in a footprint of less than 3 sq m.
For further information www.bystronic.co.uk