EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Critical role for Atlas Copco in rail plant

Hitachi Rail has invested £8.5m to create bespoke welding and painting facilities at its Newton Aycliffe factory – the first time in decades that a new train welding facility of this type has been created in Britain. Atlas Copco’s successful bid for the design and installation of the 450 m compressed air and argon supply network has played an important role in the company’s on-shoring of crucial high-value aspects of its manufacturing process.

Commenting on Atlas Copco’s product standards, and overall progress with the AIRnet pipework installation process, Hitachi Rail’s facilities manager Colin Trevor says: “The company’s co-operation and timing, plus the product quality, performance and productivity benefits of the Atlas Copco pipework system installation, has contributed substantially to the success of this project.”
For further information www.atlascopco.com

Binding agreements for Masdar acquisition

Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Mubadala Investment Co have entered into binding agreements for TAQA and ADNOC to purchase stakes in Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) from Mubadala. The deal puts a value for the new joint ventures at approximately AED 7bn ($1.9bn) on a 100% equity basis. The agreements will see TAQA acquire a 43% controlling stake in Masdar’s renewables business with Mubadala retaining a 33% interest and ADNOC owning the remaining 24%. ADNOC will also hold a 43% controlling stake in Masdar’s new green hydrogen joint venture, Mubadala will retain a 33% interest and TAQA will hold a 24% stake.
For further information www.mubadala.com

Namaat investment programmes expanded

The Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) has announced a major expansion of its Namaat industrial investment programmes, with 55 agreements and MoUs across the sustainability, digital, industrial, manufacturing and social innovation sectors. Namaat, which has grown from 32 to 55 investments since last year, supports industrial investment partnerships, helping to create jobs for Saudis and contributing to national growth and capacity building.

Ahmad Al-Sa’adi, Aramco senior vice president of technical services, says: “Namaat enables Aramco to be a catalyst for change across the Kingdom’s economy, while maintaining our reliability as a global energy supplier at a time of market uncertainty. Our collaboration with industry leaders in areas of strategic importance for the Kingdom, demonstrates how Aramco is creating national champions that will bring long-term benefits to our value chain, economy and people.”
For further information www.aramco.com

Local manufacturing opportunities

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has identified AED70bn ($19bn) worth of products in its procurement pipeline that could be manufactured locally. Out of this value, ADNOC signed agreements for local manufacturing opportunities worth AED21bn ($5.7n) with UAE and international companies at the recent ‘Make it in the Emirates Forum’ in Abu Dhabi.

The agreements will see the companies set up and expand manufacturing facilities in the UAE as well as jointly explore with ADNOC the potential for new investments in local manufacturing. These opportunities comprise of over 100 products, which ADNOC aims to purchase between 2022 and 2030. ADNOC is inviting the private sector to take advantage of this pipeline and invest in the UAE’s manufacturing sector to produce the products locally.
For further information www.adnoc.ae

Transforming operations with Lantek

Lantek, a specialist in sheet-metal manufacturing software, demonstrated how working with an industry specialist provides the ability to automate and control the whole business by analysing machinery and customer KPIs through factory digitalisation in partnership with engineers who really understand the industry. Visitors to the company’s stand at the BIEMH 2022 exhibition in Bilbao last month were able to discover this for themselves.

Lantek has 28,000 clients worldwide, using its Expert software to drive their CNC machinery. Internationally, the company has seen a 25% increase in its digitalisation business as companies realise how much difference starting on the path to a smart factory can make to profitability and efficiency. In the UK alone, 2021 saw a record turnover of over €1m and a significant rise in interest in KPI analysis and digitalisation.

Lantek presented the latest version of the suite at BIEMH, launched during the past year under its Global Release 2021. With this update, the company continues with its commitment to offer clients and distributors advanced and flexible solutions for the sheet-metal market, helping them on the path to digital transformation.

The Lantek Expert and Lantek Flex3d CADCAM solutions give companies the ability to create CNC programs automatically for virtually every sheet-metal machine on the market, while its nesting software ensures maximum material utilisation. Building on the technology and capabilities of this software, companies can start by adding smart modules to generate quotations for customers quickly and accurately. They can then move on to Lantek MES, which keeps track of scheduling and machine OEE, and then to Lantek’s cloud-based analytics software, which will help them to understand the KPIs that are important for both customer and manufacturing management.
For further information www.lantek.com