Editor’s Pick

£400m turbine blade facility

Earlier this month, work began on a new £400m offshore wind facility on Teesside, which is set to become the biggest of its kind in the world and create 750 direct jobs. SeAH Wind Ltd’s 1.13m sq ft facility will produce bases for offshore wind turbines from Redcar’s Teesworks, the UK’s biggest industrial zone.

To mark the occasion, politicians, business leaders and key stakeholders visited the site for a formal signing event, followed by presentations and a Q&A session ahead of the ground-breaking ceremony. When complete, the facility will produce between 100 and 150 monopiles per year, with subsequent transportation directly from the factory to Teesworks’ under-construction South Bank Quay before heading to the North Sea for installation using specialised pile-driving equipment.
For further information www.seah.co.kr

Automation ups lathe productivity by 25%

German subcontractor Euler Feinmechanik, based in Schöffengrund near Frankfurt, has invested in three robotic machine-tending systems from Halter to automate the loading and unloading of DMG Mori lathes. The Halter range of LoadAssistant robotic machine-tending equipment is available in the UK from 1st Machine Tool Accessories.

Established more than 60 years ago and with around 75 employees, Euler Feinmechanik machines complex turned and milled parts such as optical bearing mounts, components for camera lenses, rifle scopes for hunting and the military, medical and aerospace parts, and housings and stators for vacuum pumps. Materials machined are mainly aluminium, brass, stainless steel and various plastics, such as PEEK, acetal and PTFE.

Managing director Leonard Euler says: “Automation and robotisation are important aspects of our continuous improvement. We’re constantly thinking about whether we can optimise individual processes so that they interface even more smoothly.”

In 2016, Euler Feinmechanik bought a new CTX beta 800 4A CNC turn-mill centre from DMG Mori for the production of particularly complex components for vacuum equipment. Euler considered several brands of machine-tending equipment, as he was keen to find the best solution and make a future-proof choice on which the subcontractor could standardise.

“Halter is a specialist in this field and not only had a good automation solution, but also great references and a working demonstration that showed exactly what we wanted,” says Euler. “In the end, we opted for one of its Universal Premium 20 cells.”

A year after purchasing the first DMG Mori turning centre and retrofitting it with automated loading and unloading, Euler Feinmechanik bought two more lathes from the same source.
The two new machines were immediately equipped with Industry 4.0-compliant Halter loading robots identical to the first. Production on all three twin-spindle lathes can continue unattended for an average of half a shift, which maximises productivity and reduces labour costs.
For further information www.1mta.com

Renishaw to invest £50m in Miskin site

Renishaw, is to invest over £50m at its Miskin site in Wales to increase manufacturing capacity and help meet its net-zero emissions targets. The investment will see 37,000 sq m of additional low-carbon buildings created at the 193 acre site to the west of Cardiff, consisting of two new production halls and an employee welfare facility. Renishaw currently employs 650 people at the site. The company will also refurbish the existing production halls to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Construction will take place in phases, with a 15-month programme of work starting in July 2022 to build the first of the new halls, the welfare facility and supporting infrastructure. The basic shell for the second new production hall will be built by December 2024 and be fully constructed when business levels require its use. The details of the operations that will take place in each of the new halls is yet to be fully determined, but the additional capacity will allow for increases to machining operations and the assembly of products already built at the site.
For further information www.renishaw.com

Hidden benefit of Corporation Tax rise

The announcement of an increase in Corporation Tax to 25% was met with obvious dismay from across industry, but for manufacturers that want or need to invest in new capital equipment the rise has a silver lining. The first-year 130% tax relief provided by the Government’s super-deduction scheme, introduced in April 2021 and applicable to any new equipment with unlimited value, now provides a bigger investment incentive.

“When applied to the new Corporation Tax rate, customers can make significant savings on new machine tools,” states Nigel Atherton, managing director of XYZ Machine Tools. For example, the purchase of a machine tool valued at £100,000 would generate tax relief of £130,000, at the old rate of Corporation Tax, saving the customer £24,700. With the tax rate at 25% that saving increases to £32,500. If a company kept the £100,000 of profit in the bank it would cost £25,000 in tax instead.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Growth keeps coming at GM Group

Following a successful debut at the MACH exhibition in April, the GM Group has further expanded its team by appointing a new area sales manager for the south of the UK. Andrew Yeomans is a seasoned engineer with more than 35 years of industry experience. The new appointment will target sales of the Victor CNC portfolio and build brand and market awareness in the southern counties.

As the UK’s exclusive distributor for the Victor CNC machine tools, the GM Group has witnessed significant growth, which more than justifies both the company’s recruitment drive and its investment in a new facility planned for completion this autumn. GM Group is investing heavily in its factory expansion, new staff and infrastructure to enhance customer service, support and sales.
For further information www.gm-cnc.com