EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Metals firms wanted as industry survey launches

A new survey to capture the latest views of the UK metals sector has been launched. The State of the UK Metals Industry Survey 2026/27, organised by the UK Metals Council, is looking to gain insight on current trading conditions, the impact of tariffs and how firms are attempting to come to terms with rising energy costs. It will also tackle the complex subject of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, while trying to understand how recent changes to skills support might affect attitudes to upskilling and apprenticeship recruitment. The survey should only take 10 minutes to complete and will stay open until 5 September.

More information www.bit.ly/4uuxJCR

New head of Mills CNC Training Academy

Mills CNC has promoted Darren Clarke to head up its CNC Training Academy operation following the retirement in April of previous training manager Karen Earley. Apprentice-trained Clarke joined the CNC Training Academy in 2017 as one of its three trainers at the time. He has a wealth of experience in the machine tool sector, including roles at Bridgeport, DMG Mori and ETG.

Clarke is already making his presence felt by making more use of the CNC Training Academy’s customer database and CRM system to increase sales of its operator and programmer training courses and improve operational and administrative efficiencies.

Other plans include making more use of the facility’s two dedicated CNC machine tools by introducing and offering intermediate milling and turning level operator courses.

More information www.millscnc.co.uk/training

Campaign launches for more female role models

“We don’t want to be seen as the exception, we want to be seen as the rule,” is the clear message coming from women in engineering and manufacturing. This rallying call is headlining In-Comm Training’s annual ‘I’m Included’ campaign, which has been launched to shine a spotlight on females behind engineering – showcasing their diverse roles, career paths and life experiences.

Backed by Enginuity and nine companies including Adams Enclosures, Assa Abloy, Filtermist, Industrial Physics, Jenks & Cattell, Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) and Safran, the initiative will highlight stories that often go unseen. In particular, the stories celebrate achievements across different stages of an engineer’s journey and demonstrate how inclusion drives innovation and help bridge industry’s skills gap.

More information www.bit.ly/4ebIghu

EDM service package for NADCAP certification

To help its EDM customers achieve and maintain NADCAP certification, United Machining has developed a dedicated service package for its AgieCharmilles EDM machines that optimises their performance, repeatability and traceability. The core element of the package focuses on planned preventive maintenance conducted by experienced United Machining engineers, in accordance with NADCAP AC7116 specifications. This activity guarantees the repeatability and traceability of the customer’s EDM processes and ensures their EDM machines are operating at peak performance.

More information www.gfms.com/uk

Sandvik Coromant Upgrades Tool Reconditioning

Tooling manufacturer Sandvik Coromant has upgraded its tool reconditioning service for solid round tools. To give manufacturers complete control over their reconditioning process, the upgraded service replaces a previously manual, multi-stage workflow with a streamlined, fully online experience that reduces quotation and turnaround times.

Customers simply log in, enter the tool’s product code and the quantity they wish to recondition and receive an instant quotation. This functionality enables immediate decision making and places complete control in the hands of the user. Furthermore, for the majority of markets, Sandvik Coromant covers all shipping costs, taxes and tariffs associated with the service, ensuring a smooth end-to-end experience.

More information www.bit.ly/4aJ4e9h