A recent visit to Truro and Penwith College in Cornwallgave the Prime Minister the chance to try his hand at operating an XYZ 1330 Trainer lathe. The visit – to mark National Apprenticeship Week – was an opportunity for Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy to appreciate for themselves the valuable work performed by the college, which is rated as ‘outstanding’ and attracts students from across the county and wider southeast. Level 3 machining apprentice Daniel Wright, who now works for West Pharmaceutical Services, guided the Prime Minister through face-turning operations.

At the Truro site there are: 11 manual lathes; XYZ 1330 and XYZ 1530, 2 XYZ RLX 1630 CNC lathes with ProtoTRAK controls; five XYZ 2000 manual mills;one XYZ 1020 surface grinder; two RMX 2500 CNC mills with ProtoTRAK controls;and one XYZ 660 HD VMC with Siemens 828D control. A new campus in Bodmin will have: six XYZ 1330 manual lathes; three XYZ 2000 manual mills;one RMX 2500 CNC mill with ProtoTRAK control; one RLX 1630 CNC lathe with ProtoTRAK control; and one XYZ 660 HD VMC with Siemens 828D control.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Lloyds Bank has confirmed its headline sponsorship of MACH 2024 (Birmingham NEC, 15-19 April), the sixth time the bank done so. Commenting on the new deal, James Selka (photo, right),CEO at the Manufacturing Technologies Association, the organiser of MACH 2024, says:“Manufacturing is the heartbeat of the UK economy and growing a resilient manufacturing industry has never been more important. Lloyds Bank is an ideal partner for MACH as we share common goals and commitments, including sustainability across the sector.”

Dave Atkinson (photo, left), UK head of manufacturing at Lloyds Bank, adds: “Making the transition to net zero represents a significant growth opportunity for the UK economy, particularly for the manufacturing sector. However, we must invest in technology and skills to support such an ambitious change. Lloyds Bank is delighted to again sponsor MACH, the UK’s national showcase for the best in next-generation manufacturing technologies.”
For further information www.machexhibition.com

This year, Renishaw is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The company, which began trading on 4 April 1973, will mark this significant milestone with a year of global activities, including open house events at its largest sites, family days for employees and a ‘50 at 50′ charity initiative that will see £150,000 donated to 50 not-for-profit organisations in the 36 countries where it has offices.

The company was formed half a century ago to commercialise the invention of a touch-trigger probe by now executive chairman Sir David McMurtry, solving a dimensional measurement problem at Rolls-Royce when manufacturing Olympus engines for the supersonic Concorde aircraft. Today, Renishaw is listed on the FTSE 250 index with a current valuation around £3bn. The company employs 5200 employees in 36 countries, including 3400 staff at its sites in the UK, primarily in Gloucestershire and south Wales.
For further information www.renishaw.com

Yamazaki Mazak says it is implementing a new UK sales structure to support growing market demand for British-built machinery and bring the team even closer to its customer base.The structure, which includes the promotion of several experienced employees, will comprise of dedicated sales teams for the north and south of England under two newly appointed general sales managers: Brian Edmondson (photo, right)in the north and Alan Reeve (left) in the south. Both will report to UK sales director Jason Butler (centre).

The new structure is taking shape in advance of the impending retirement of long-serving UK general sales manager, Tony Creamer, whose career will draw to a close at the end of this month.In the north of England, Edmondson will enjoy support from Karl Hargreaves, Mark Ireland, Joe Trozzo and Stephen Bower, with newly appointed Liam Slack in an area sales engineer role.In the south, Neil Coggins, Tim Ponter and John McNally will support Reeve, with Steve Livett gaining promotion to area sales manager.
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk