EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Operator For MICM

The Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has appointed a specialist operating company to run a new multi-million-pound innovation centre to support manufacturing in Moray.

The Manufacturing Innovation Centre Moray (MICM) has been developed by HIE at Enterprise Park Forres to stimulate innovation and growth in manufacturing companies across Moray and create hundreds of jobs over the next decade. Business support organisation Elevator UK – which supports entrepreneurship, innovation and growth impact across Scotland – will develop and manage the services offered by MICM.

More information www.hie.co.uk

FlexxCORE up for award

Flexxbotics’ FlexxCORE has been nominated as a finalist at the 2025 Humanoid Robotics Industry Awards. FlexxCORE enables robots to communicate with machines, empowering robots in production scenarios to interpret each machine’s job, processing routines and operational status. It securely connects and co-ordinates humanoid robots with factory equipment, IT systems and people to deliver robot-driven manufacturing. By enabling humanoid robots to take on increasingly complex workflows, Flexxbotics is accelerating the industry’s shift toward fully digitalised, human-robot collaborative factories.

Voting is open at http://bit.ly/3J5RvD8

RARUK enters new partnership with GRIP

RARUK Automation, a UK-based automation distributor, has entered into an exclusive partnership with GRIP. Headquartered in Germany, GRIP is a specialist in intelligent tool-changing systems for collaborative robots. This agreement will bring GRIP’s innovative solutions to the UK market, enabling manufacturers to enhance the flexibility, safety and efficiency of their collaborative robot (cobot) cells. RARUK Automation is a long-standing distributor of the Universal Robots range. GRIP’s tool changers are designed to integrate seamlessly with Universal Robots, with a URCap for easy set-up and programming.

More information www.rarukautomation.com

Casting plant switches to solar power arrays

A major green energy upgrade has been completed at Doncasters’ Droitwich manufacturing site, with 2,400 solar panels now powering the Deritend Precision Castings facility, marking a significant milestone in the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainable manufacturing. Already operational, the solar panels are generating a substantial share of the site’s electricity requirements, helping to reduce carbon emissions and enhance energy resilience. By integrating renewable energy at site level, the business is aligning innovation in engineering with innovation in environmental responsibility.

More information www.doncasters.com

Rapid Fusion Secures First US Deal

UK-based Rapid Fusion is looking to break into America after signing a new reseller
agreement with a US additive manufacturing specialist. The Exeter-based business, which
employs 10 people at its state-of-the-art Skypark demonstration centre, has joined forces
with Phoenix Analysis and Design Technologies (PADT) to sell its robotic additive
manufacturing systems to customers in the aerospace and defence sectors.

Bosses at the technology expert believe there are almost £2m worth of opportunities to be
enjoyed in the first year across the western half of the country and have earmarked its
Apollo, Zeus and Medusa solutions as offering significant time and cost savings compared to
existing models. The company will initially target PADT’s existing client base.
More information www.rapidfusion.co.uk