EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Big Daishowa opens 9th production plant

Industrial tooling specialist Big Daishowa has opened its ninth production plant at the company’s Awaji manufacturing facility in Japan. The 49,500m² plant is designed to meet today’s production needs and accommodate future growth. Notably, the facility houses 21 multitasking machine tools and 23 automatic lathes. Big Daishowa’sinitial production target is 20,000 tools per month, with potential to double this output. Manufacturing will focus on BBT and BT tool holders in taper sizes 30-50.Automation plays a key role in the new plant’s operations, with robots and automated guided forklifts streamlining material handling.

More information www.big-daishowa.com

50th Anniversary open house for Citizen

Sliding- and fixed-head turning machine supplier Citizen Machinery UK will hold an open house on 8-10 October 2024 at its Midlands facility, where the company has its main showroom and configures turnkey production solutions, frequently with automation. This year is a key milestone for the company, as it is half a century since Citizen’s Cincom sliding-head lathes were introduced to the UK and Ireland by forerunner NC Engineering.

The event will mark the launch of a new version of the company’s best-selling sliding-head turning centre, the Cincom L32, which can now feature an optional B-axis automatic tool changer for machining complex workpieces up to 32 mm (optionally 38 mm) in diameter. The show will host various machines performing live cutting demonstrations.

More information www.bit.ly/3XazxlX

Electrification sector receives boost

An £800,000 initiative – designed to provide a ‘single source of truth’ for electrification skills and capabilities – is nearing its first big milestone.The Electrification Skills Network (ESN), which is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and delivered by Coventry University, is weeks away from launching the UK’s first-ever framework for a sector that has the potential to create more than 100,000 jobs by 2025.

Extensive research, interactive workshop sessions and the creation of a dedicated forum are all complete, involving more than 100 academic partners, training providers, accrediting bodies and employers, including Aston Martin and Bentley.All this knowledge and real-world experience has been channelled into the ongoing development of an interactive website, which will house the framework and lay out a common set of skills.

More information www.bit.ly/3XusjJV

Voyager set for £60m Alstom refurbishment

Alstom has signed a contract to refurbish CrossCountry’s Voyager trains. The contract, valued at around £60m, will see the work carried out at Alstom’s historic Derby Litchurch Lane facility. It encompasses 312 cars, comprising 136 Voyager (Class 220) and 176 Super Voyager (Class 221) vehicles. Some 252 cars belong to the existing CrossCountry fleet, while an additional 12 trains – totalling 60 additional carriages – will be added following their release from Avanti West Coast. Design work will commence immediately, with physical work in Derby set to commence from next year until 2027.

More information www.alstom.com

Anticipation builds for UK Metals Expo

Opening this week (11-12 September) at the Birmingham NEC, the UK Metals Expo is a free-to-attend exhibition that is set to host over 300 exhibitors as part of a leading event that brings the entire metals supply chain together via representation from the engineering and manufacturing sectors. In addition, more than 100 speakers will deliver presentations across a free two-day seminar programme.

Sponsored by Tata Steel, British Steel, Van Leeuwen and Trimble, primary focus areas of the exhibition include metalworking, fabrication, machinery and surface finishing.MTI magazine is an official media partner of the event and will be present on stand M83. Please call by the stand to pick up a copy of the latest issue, which is packed with news, features and other engaging content from the metalworking and metalforming sectors.

More information www.ukmetalsexpo.com