EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

NCMT sponsors university racing team

University of Wolverhampton Racing (UWR) has gained a new official sponsor – machine tool supplier NCMT, best known in the UK and Ireland as the sole agent for selling the Japanese Okuma and Makino brands. The agreement was struck in mid-February 2023, in time for the first race of the Britcar Prototype Cup.UWR is the only student-run team that competes in the Prototype Cup using a Praga R1, a Czech-manufactured racing car eligible for the competition.

Jonathan Smart, managing director of NCMT, says: “We are delighted to start sponsoring UWR, which unlike all other student teams in the UK competes against professional racing teams. It gives their graduates the edge when trying to enter professional motorsport or other employment.Moreover, the Department of Engineering is especially committed to extending opportunities and promoting diversity in engineering and motorsport.”
For further information www.ncmt.co.uk

Training centre alumni making a difference

Two University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre alumni feature in a new book that will soon be in the hands of every secondary school in the UK, where it aims to inspire and excite young people about careers in engineering.Beth Cousins, now a project engineer at the University of Sheffield AMRC, and Kate Todd-Davis, who works as a manufacturing engineer for Rolls-Royce, were hand-picked to appear in the book ‘Engineers Making a Difference’, alongside 44 other superhero engineers from sectors including construction, energy, transport, robotics and artificial intelligence, and more.
For further information www.bit.ly/3mFWmiQ

Marposs acquires Digital Strategy Innovation

Marposs Group has acquired Digital Strategy Innovation (DSI), a start-up specialising in applied research in AI, big data and data analysis. The purchase is part of a broader investment strategy at Marposs Group that adopts an open innovation approach aimed at acquiring and developing investments in new technologies.The combination of the expertise of DSI’s researchers and the experience and global presence of Marposs will enable the pair to accelerate the development of innovative solutions, particularly in the field of e-mobilityand the improvement of digital platform and data process services.
For further information www.marposs.com

Danish subsidiary for CMZ

CMZ Denmark is now officially open for business,aiming to help the company meet its objective: to exceed €100m in annual turnover.The closure of Maskingruppen AS, which up until now had been CMZ’s official distributor, has accelerated the company’s plans in Denmark, making it a key business opportunity for the group. Nicolaj Søndergaard, ex-employee of the defunct Maskingruppen, will lead the sales team, becoming its visible head. His extensive experience in the sector and profound knowledge of the market are among many personal attributes.
For further information www.cmz.com

More seeing economics of planned maintenance

Manufacturers of every size are coming to realise the peace of mind that comes with having a planned preventative machine maintenance scheme, says machine tool supplier Starrag UK as it reflects on a recent flurry of new service deals that complement a host of similar contracts which have been in place for some years with a number of existing users.

In addition to an annual machine service and maintenance plan, Starrag’s ServicePlus programme covers every eventuality, assuring service response times, inspection and repair, as well as an uptime guarantee in some cases.Starrag UK has a team of 20 customer-facing service specialists covering the UK and Ireland, including 16 very experienced, highly-trained and skilled ‘mobile’ service engineers who each have an average of 17 to 22 years’ experience of Starrag machine technologies.
For further information www.starrag.com