A Glasgow-based circular economy business has helped demonstrate how a new technology could make it easier for products to be repaired, reused and recycled. A six‑month trial led by the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), in partnership with Glasgow-based Circulus, successfully tested the use of digital product passports (DPPs) within a real-world remanufacturing environment.

During the trial, NMIS worked closely with Circulus to map how information moves through the company’s operations and identify how product data could be captured and shared more effectively. To test the approach without affecting day-to-day operations, a replica of Circulus’s HIVE business management system was created, allowing the technology to be trialled in an environment that closely mirrored live operations.More information www.nmis.scot

Alstom, a global specialist in smart and sustainable mobility, recently hosted Prime Minister Andy Burnham at its Litchurch Lane Works factory in Derby, where he announced the launch of new technical education routes. The PM met around 100 apprentices and graduates in Alstom’s National Training Academy, providing the backdrop for changes to the UK’s education system.

Litchurch Lane has built trains for 150 years. Without it, the UK would be the only G7 economy unable to design, engineer, build and test trains for its national railway network. Alstom’s £720m annual spend with almost 1300 British suppliers shows how rail procurement can be a core driver of reindustrialising Britain, supporting skills, jobs and economic growth across the country.

More information www.alstom.com