EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

NI firms lead way in smart manufacturing

Four Northern Ireland manufacturing companies are preparing to transform their production operations and improve their output after graduating from the latest Digital Catapult Smart Nano NI Accelerator Programme. Following the completion of the programme, and by adopting new digital solutions,it is hoped these companies will further accelerate smart manufacturing in Northern Ireland. Delivered by Digital Catapult, Nelipak Healthcare Packaging, Aeroblue Software, Terex and NuPrint Technologies showcased their solutions at the latest graduation event atNorth West Regional College’s Industry 4.0 Centre.
For further information www.digicatapult.org.uk

New CAO for NMITE

NMITE has appointed David Oloke as its new chief academic officer and first professor of civil engineering. Oloke will take up the role and leadership of NMITE’s academic mission in February. NMITE says this will add to an exciting year ahead because 2024 willyield its first graduates, the pioneers who, in September 2021, embarked on the accelerated Master’s Degree in Engineering. The appointment of an experienced civil engineer to NMITE’s leadership team will further drive NMITE’s commitment to the sustainable built environment, a key area of NMITE’s academic focus. Oloke joins from the University of Brighton.
For further information www.nmite.ac.uk

Recycling initiative supports circular economy

Metal cutting expert Sandvik Coromant, together with the wider Sandvik Group, is launching an upgraded tool recycling scheme. Building on the success of its existing buy-back programme, the new scheme will make the process of repurposing worn carbide tools easier for customers, while also boosting material circularity across the supply chain.With the scheme, customers can sell their worn-out tools to Sandvik Coromant, which then extracts and reuses the materials in the production of new cutting tools. It is possible to recycle up to 95% of a used carbide insert. Rollout to all customers will take place by 2025.
For further information www.sandvik.coromant.com

Hurco bucks the trend with record sales

Against a backdrop of difficult trading conditions in the UK machine tool industry, Hurco Europe’s turnover to the end of its financial year in November 2023 was surprising. It turned out to be a record year for sales, higher than the best previous figure, achieved in 2018.Managing director David Waghorn says: “We delivered a few more lathes than last year and, while the number of machining centres we sold did not increase, their unit price was significantly higher.”

There was also an increase in large machine sales, which increases the value per sale, while many negotiations included requests for extras like mist extraction, through-spindle coolant, probing and longer warranties. Notably, the addition of a collaborative robot raised the value of some orders:the number delivered was two and a half times up on the previous year.
For further information www.hurco.co.uk

Renewable electricity for Renishaw UK

To further help meet its ambition of achievingnet zero by 2050, Renishaw has signed a two-year contact with the world’s first green energy company, Ecotricity, which will now supply the company’s main UK sites with 100% renewable electricity.As part of its ambitious climate transition plan, Renishaw aims to reduce emissions relating to its business activities and purchased energy – Scopes 1 and 2 – to net zero by 2028.

Renishaw’s partnership with Ecotricity is the latest move towards exclusively using green energy across the world, with company sites in India, Japan, Mexico and the US among those already running on 100% renewable electricity. The global businessself-generates 11% of its electricity consumption and most of the electricity itacquires is certified renewable.By the end of 2024, 100% of what Renishaw purchases globally will meet its sustainability requirements.
For further information www.renishaw.com