EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Strengthening manufacturing and sovereign capability 

The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA), in partnership with Mission Community, has launched ‘Mission Manufacturing’, a career guide and recruitment pathway for ex-Armed Forces personnel and the wider Service community. Employers can benefit from the talent of these individuals in the face of a widely acknowledged skills shortage. Introduced recently to the Armed Forces Community at the National Transition Event at Silverstone Circuit, the guidance will be showcased further on the opening day of the MACH 2026 exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham on 20 April.More information www.mta.org.uk/mission-manufacturing

DN Solutions Opens Additive Solutions Centre

DN Solutions, the world’s third-largest and South Korea’s leading machine tool manufacturer, is celebrating the official opening of its first Additive Solutions Centre (ASC) in Europe. Located in Gütersloh, Germany, new R&D centre marks a major milestone in the strategic focus of DN Solutions on additive manufacturing technologies.

Going forward, the company’s global additive business will be managed from this site. The close integration of 3D printing and CNC technology increases the efficiency of production processes and shortens the development cycles of new manufacturing processes for customers and partners. Spanning approximately 1000 m², the new facility will host training sessions and live demonstrations. It will also support the integration of turnkey projects.

More information www.dn-solutions.com

UK foundry buys estate

A major UK foundry has reinforced its commitment to the Black Country with the purchase of the Moxley Industrial Estate. Alucast, which provides high-pressure, low-pressure, sand and gravity casting services, has spent £1.8m on the site in Wednesbury, protecting the future of it three current units and supporting estate neighbours Kingfisher Enamelling Co and BES Group Testing. Located just a few miles from the M6 and M5 motorways, the 5-acre site is well-known in the local manufacturing community and has been home to Alucast for nearly 65 years.

More information www.alucast.co.uk

€45m casting investment

Horse Powertrain, a global specialist in low-emission propulsion systems, has invested €45m to expand cylinder-head casting processes at its plant in Valladolid, Spain. The new aluminium casting facility will be the first in the country to cast cylinder heads using the tilting gravity die casting (TGDC) process. Compared with traditional high-pressure die casting, TGDC enhances the structural integrity of finished components. Once this investment comes online, Valladolid’s annual production capacity for cylinder heads will rise from 300,000 to 360,000 and yield 150 new roles.

More information www.horse-powertrain.com

Wall Colmonoy marks apprenticeship milestone

Global materials engineering company Wall Colmonoy is marking the 10th anniversary of its bespoke apprenticeship programme, celebrating a decade of sustained investment in engineering skills and advanced manufacturing capability in Wales. Launched in 2015 at its Pontardawe headquarters in the Swansea Valley, the programme was designed to build the expertise required to support Wall Colmonoy’s advanced materials and manufacturing operations. Over the past 10 years, the programme has become a structured pathway that spans apprenticeships, higher education and degree-level study in the workplace.

More information www.wallcolmonoy.com