EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

BLM Group to stage open house

At its headquarters in Levico Terme, Italy, BLM Group will host a new edition of its
open house. Specialising in the production of tube and sheet metal processing machines, BLM is opening its plant doors for two weeks (20 September to 4 October) to welcome its customers. The event will occupy a total exhibition area of more than 10,000 sq m divided into four main technical hubs, where attendees will have the opportunity to get hands-on with the latest innovations among the group’s various technologies: tube laser, sheet laser, 3D laser cutting cells, tube benders, wire benders, sawing machines and tube shapers.
For further information www.blmgroup.com/innova

Ward CNC grows sales team

Following an increase in customer demand, TW Ward CNC Machinery Ltd (Ward CNC) is further enhancing its sales network with the appointment of Grant Gavin, who joins as regional sales manager for Scotland. Gavin had 10 successful years working for Innovative Tooling Solutions, working his way through the company following his apprenticeship in Mechanical Manufacturing in 2013. For the past five years, Gavin has also enjoyed a successful and rewarding career within the technical sales department, selling into key industries such as oil and gas, aerospace and power generation, among others.
For further information www.wardcnc.com

Mapal grows turnover and remains on track

In the 2022 financial year, group turnover at tooling specialist Mapal increased by 6.5% to €558m. The first months of the current year also showed increases, which is why the company is cautiously optimistic about 2023 and expects turnover to grow to €590m. “The first half of the year was very positive, so we’re now working on achieving our targets despite increasing economic risks,” says Dr Jochen Kress, president of the Mapal Group. “We have used the past few years intensively and faced up to the changing conditions in order to be prepared for the future.”
For further information www.mapal.com

Jergens expands

Spencer Wills has joined Jergens as commercial business director for Europe. The move comes as the company looks to further expand its customer base and support in the UK and mainland Europe. One of the main initiatives is to develop and grow the distribution network for the company’s work-holding solutions, with a focus on high-level competencies and experience within target market sectors. The second to increase support for major OEMs and end users within the aerospace, defence, motorsport, marine, oil and gas, and general engineering industries.
For further www.jergensinc.com

Small machine shops see growth

From robotic machining, digital machine shop planning, IoT and process optimisations, engineers at Scotland’s world-leading R&D manufacturing hub have helped growing businesses harness their competitive edge after completing a major European project.The University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) – part of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) Group – was the UK partner in a four-year initiative designed to transform the machining sector by encouraging the uptake of innovative digital technologies.Overall, it helped more than 500 SMEs in the region’s machining sector.
For further information www.machining4.eu