New digital service supports all Fastems systems

MyFastems is a complementary service for all existing and new Fastems customers, providing more advanced digital services especially for those using Manufacturing Management Software (MMS) version 6+. Fastems´ first software-as-a-service provides digital tools to support all Fastems customers in increasing their availability and productivity, making sure their systems are up and running 24/7.

The digital service is built as a progressive web application for easy access via web-browser on the PC, tablet or smartphone.It can also be combined with other services such as 8760 support, preventive maintenance and software maintenance agreements for optimised solutions throughout the whole lifecycle. MyFastems is available for all current Fastems automation systems and will be pre-installed for new systems in the future.

Notably, MyFastems brings transparency to any Fastems systems service history and spare parts usage, and includes comprehensive system overview for connected systems, as well as alarm-based recovery instructions and support request tickets. The system overview provides updated statuses of all connected Fastems systems, making it easy for users to stay on top of production activities and solve any issues in a timely manner. Whatever situation occurs, Fastems support is only one click away: MyFastems provides convenient access to creating support and service request tickets. Having all necessary information, Fastems’ technical support can understand the situation on site better and faster, to reduce the critical downtime of the systems.

For connected systems, MyFastems provides more advanced digital services. These include access to alarm history, key performance indicators such as utilisation rate, tools for advanced troubleshooting, and analyses via ‘Incidents’ view, which groups system-wide alarms based on the actual root cause and provides specific recovery instructions.
For further information www.fastems.com

Seco wants to employ more women engineers

Engineering has long been male dominated, but Seco Tools is working to encourage more gender diversity. The company’s commitment to gender diversity includes its global Female Talent Programme. Seco is also a signatory to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, where Goal number five seeks to ‘Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’.“We are trying to encourage more young women to enter the industry because we need more diverse perspectives,” says Zoe Wood, HR manager at Seco Tools UK.“Women often have a different way of looking at problems and coming up with alternative solutions.”
For further information www.secotools.com

Prime Minister operates XYZ lathe

A recent visit to Truro and Penwith College in Cornwallgave the Prime Minister the chance to try his hand at operating an XYZ 1330 Trainer lathe. The visit – to mark National Apprenticeship Week – was an opportunity for Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy to appreciate for themselves the valuable work performed by the college, which is rated as ‘outstanding’ and attracts students from across the county and wider southeast. Level 3 machining apprentice Daniel Wright, who now works for West Pharmaceutical Services, guided the Prime Minister through face-turning operations.

At the Truro site there are: 11 manual lathes; XYZ 1330 and XYZ 1530, 2 XYZ RLX 1630 CNC lathes with ProtoTRAK controls; five XYZ 2000 manual mills;one XYZ 1020 surface grinder; two RMX 2500 CNC mills with ProtoTRAK controls;and one XYZ 660 HD VMC with Siemens 828D control. A new campus in Bodmin will have: six XYZ 1330 manual lathes; three XYZ 2000 manual mills;one RMX 2500 CNC mill with ProtoTRAK control; one RLX 1630 CNC lathe with ProtoTRAK control; and one XYZ 660 HD VMC with Siemens 828D control.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Ward CNC strengthens sales manager network

TW Ward CNC Machinery (Ward CNC) has expanded its presence across the Yorkshire and East regions by appointing John Hawkins as regional sales manager. Hawkins brings a wealth of technical and sales experience within the machine tool and engineering industry, possessing over 20 years of selling high value/high technology solutions, capital equipment and associated software to major manufacturers and OEM customers in the UK and overseas.“The comprehensive range of products and highly reputable brands is one of the key reasons why I am so pleased to be joining Ward CNC,” he says.
For further information www.wardcnc.com

Subcontract market surges by 60%

The latest Contract Manufacturing Index (CMI) shows that the UK subcontract manufacturing market surged by 60% in the first three months of 2023 compared with the previous quarter. As political and economic uncertainty eased, high-value purchasing organisation came back to the market and the release of pent-up demand saw activity soar.
The market jumped by 178% from December 2022 to January 2023 and remained healthy for the rest of the quarter.

Overall, the first quarter of 2023 was 31% higher than the first quarter of 2022, demonstrating consistent growth in the longer term. The CMI, produced by sourcing specialist Qimtek, reflects the total purchasing budget for the outsourced manufacturing of companies looking to place business in any given month. This represents a sample of over 4000 companies who could be placing business,which together have a purchasing budget of more than £3.4bn and a supplier base of over 7000 companies with a verified turnover in excess of £25bn.
For further information www.qimtek.co.uk