20-year collaboration

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Aero Engines, a group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,and Rolls-Royce, held a ceremony in Komaki Cityrecently to mark the 20thanniversary of their partnership. The two companies began their collaboration with the Trent 1000 engine program that powers the Boeing 787 fleet, since expanding it to encompass engine programs that power four aircraft types: the Trent XWB-84 program for the Airbus A350-900 fleet; the Trent XWB-97 program for the Airbus A350-1000 fleet; and the Trent 7000 program for the Airbus A330neo fleet.

More information www.rolls-royce.com

Big Bang Fair opens for registration

The UK’s largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people - the Big Bang Fair – is returning this summer and registration is now open. Taking place on 17-19 June 2025 at the NEC in Birmingham, the free event will welcome students aged 10 to 13 from across the UK. The annual fair, which is run by EngineeringUK, is designed to ignite a passion for STEM and showcase the exciting career possibilities in these sectors. Over 20,000 young people aged 10-13 years-old attended the Big Bang Fair last year.  

Register at www.bit.ly/4aRHXoS

Saab opens plant in Fareham

Saab UK has officially opened a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Fareham, Hampshire, marking a milestone in the company’s continued growth. The campus was opened by the Rt Hon Jonathan Reynolds MP, Secretary of State for Business and Trade.

Saab UK’s new site will develop, manufacture and support the company’s radar systems and Seaeye underwater robotics portfolio.

The site will support up to 400 jobs and provide local opportunities for apprenticeships. It is already a centre of excellence meeting future customer radar requirements and servicing, in addition to supporting in-service radars operated by the UK Armed Forces, such as the Giraffe 1X and Giraffe AMB air defence radars, and TAIPAN (Arthur) artillery locating radars.

More information www.saab.com

‘Medusa’ set for open day launch

The first UK-built large-format hybrid 3D printer is due to be unveiled later this month in what could drive a major reshoring boom.Rapid Fusion will showcase ‘Medusa’ at a special open day on 26 February at its Skypark R&D centre in Exeter.The company has tapped into a £1.2m grant from Innovate UK to develop, test, design and build the industrial 3D printer, which it says is three times faster than conventional machines, twice as accurate and promises to reduce training and maintenance costs by 30%. Among project partners are Rolls-Royce, AI Build and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS).

Open day registration https://tinyurl.com/r-f-medusa

Cobot welding open day

On 26 March (10:00-14:30), Fronius UK will host an insightful collaborative robot (cobot)welding cell open day at its facility in Milton Keynes. The free-to-attend event offers an opportunity to see the CWC-S and mobile cobot welding cells in action. Fronius cobot welding cells enhance production processes by delivering precision, efficiency and safety. The cobots are suitable for both small components and larger, more challenging fabrications, ensuring a versatile solution. They also eliminate the need for extensive programming skills thanks to their intuitive drag-and-drop interface.

Register at www.bit.ly/4hRpvPu