4% growth

According to the latest market study released by Technavio, the machine tools market in the US is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 4% through to 2021, largely due to the upward trend in automobile sales. “The flexible investment structure, large consumer base, government incentives and advanced technologies are likely to further boost demand for machine tools in the US automotive market during the forecast period,” says Raghav Bharadwaj Shivaswamy, a lead analyst at Technavio for automation research.
For further information www.technavio.com

Supplier of the year

Paul Fabrications, part of Unitech Aerospace, has won the 2016 Rolls-Royce Fabrications ‘Supplier of the Year’ award. The company received the award for its innovative and collaborative approach on a multi-million pound supply chain partnership. By embedding a Rolls-Royce team inside of Paul Fabrication’s Derby site, there is a new level of collaboration and transparency between the two organisations. As a result, Rolls-Royce has been able to consolidate its mature and legacy products with significantly reduced time to market and risk levels.
For further information www.unitech-aerospace.com

Two Thyssenkrupp plants open in China

German multinational conglomerate ThyssenKrupp AG has announced the opening of two manufacturing facilities in Changzhou National Hi-Tech District (CND), China, a joint venture project with Chinese auto parts manufacturer Fawer Automotive Parts Ltd and the company’s phase 3 camshaft production facility. The event marks the cementing of another partnership between ThyssenKrupp and CND following the earlier establishment of ThyssenKrupp Engine Systems (Changzhou) Co Ltd and ThyssenKrupp Steering System (Changzhou) Co Ltd in the district. The former will be the group’s largest camshaft manufacturing facility in Asia.
For further information www.thyssenkrupp.com

Lantek enters partnership with Nukon

Lantek, a specialist in management software solutions for the sheet-metal industry, has signed a partnership agreement with Turkish fibre-laser manufacturer Nukon to supply Lantek software with its machines worldwide. Nukon’s range of fibre-laser machines is available in power levels up to 6 kW with an option for linear drives that give acceleration of up to 3 G. The company also manufactures tube-cutting fibre lasers, and waterjet, plasma and oxygen-cutting machines. Over 500 Nukon machines are installed worldwide.

Following the partnership agreement, Nukon customers will be able to benefit from the network of offices and distribution channels that Lantek has around the world.
Francisco Pérez, OEM channel director at Lantek, says: “Collaborating with Nukon will enable us to bring our software, skills and local knowledge to a wider customer base, and will help Nukon by giving it support in international markets.”
For further information
www.lanteksms.com www.nukon.com.tr

Record year of growth at FC Laser

Laser-cutting specialist FC Laser has announced a record year with 30% growth in the past 12 months. The Derby-based company is doing so well that it will move to larger and more eco-friendly premises by the end of 2017 to help satisfy customer demand.

FC Laser’s new 20,000 sq ft factory has already received planning approval and the foundations will be laid this month. The company expects to receive the keys in December and is arranging for a prominent figure to open the new site. An open day is planned for March 2018 at which visitors will be able to see FC Laser’s suite of Bystronic laser centres, including a new 10 kW machine capable of cutting 30 mm thick materials. In other news, FC Laser has also been taking on new staff. These include account manager Brett Armitage, new business account manager Ellie Miller and apprentice internal sales engineer Will Krafts.
For further information www.fclaser.co.uk