EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Co-ordinated approach to net zero skills

Two leading figures in ‘clean growth’ are calling for a more co-ordinated approach to net zero future skills if the UK is going to reach its target of 480,000 ‘green’ jobs by 2030. Coventry University’s Carl Perrin (associate pro-vice chancellor) and Deepak Farmah (director of the Centre for Advanced Low Carbon Propulsion Systems) have made the rallying call as part of new research that Coventry University is completing to understand the commercial and sector-specific barriers of training and reskilling workforces for the decarbonisation challenge. To gather views, a survey (link below) is now underway.

Take the survey at www.bit.ly/3TfP5Uu

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