JCB has created more than 150 new jobs for apprentices and graduates with an £8m investment in its early careers program. The new recruits started their jobs last week as JCB focuses on training the next generation of manufacturers, engineers and business specialists.

JCB Group HR director Max Jeffery says: “Competition for places on the JCB apprenticeship and graduate schemes is always fierce and this year we had more 2000 applications. We set the bar very high when we recruit people, and many JCB apprentices in recent years have gone on to win national awards, which is testament to the quality of the schemes we run. Our new intake of apprentices and graduates will play a fundamental role in shaping this business in the future.”
For further information, www.jcb.com

Paignton-based CSS (Casting Support Systems) Group is having a year to remember with a visit to Buckingham Palace to collect a Queen’s Award for Enterprise and relocation to a purpose-built 60,000 sq ft factory. The relocation will see each of the three group company’s sharing the available space, with the toolmaking side of the business being the stand-out area for development.

With recent investment in new machining technology, the move involved relocating six machining centres from XYZ Machine Tools. CSS managing director James Head estimated that it would take three days per machine to complete the move. However, a concerted effort from XYZ’s machine movers and service engineers saw all six machines back in production, including laser calibration to within 6 µm/m, within seven days. Says Head: “It was an incredible effort by everyone concerned and, as a result of the prompt and efficient service, what we are now calling ‘XYZ alley’ was back machining parts in very quick time.”
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

The 18th edition of SteelFab (Sharjah, 9-12 January) will be the largest showcase of its kind in the region with the presence of leading global manufacturers. SteelFab will also feature a two-day conference where prominent industry names will present new technology and discuss the changing nature of the steel fabrication sector. The previous in January 2022 hosted more than 150 exhibitors, succeeding in attracting 6000 trade visitors from 42 countries.

Sultan Shattaf, sales and marketing director at Expo Centre Sharjah, says: “The primary demand drivers for the fabrication industry are core industries such as construction and oil and gas, but new and emerging sectors like aerospace and automotive are also triggering growth. Besides, advancements in the field of robotics and automation tools are emerging as another factor for the expansion of the metal fabrication market.”
For further information www.steelfabme.com

Stratasys, a specialist in polymer 3D printing solutions, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the additive manufacturing materials business of Covestro AG. The acquisition will include: R&D facilities and activities; sales teams across Europe, the US and China; a portfolio of approximately 60 additive manufacturing materials; and an extensive IP portfolio comprised of hundreds of patents and patents pending. The purchase price is approximately €43m, plus additional inventory, less certain liabilities.

Covestro has been a key part of Stratasys’ third-party materials ecosystem, and the acquisition will benefit customers using multiple Stratasys 3D printing platforms, including its Origin P3, Neo stereolithography and H350 printers. Stratasys is already a distributor of Covestro’s Somos resins and they are already available for Neo and Origin One 3D printers.
For further information www.stratasys.com