$1bn investment castings contract

Doncasters, a global manufacturer of high-precision components, has won a multi-year contract with Siemens Energy for the supply of complex precision investment castings that will find use on gas turbine platforms. With an anticipated value exceeding $1bn, the contract will seeDoncasters leverage its vertically integrated alloy manufacturing and casting capabilities in both the UK and Germany.

Mike Quinn, CEO at Doncasters, says: “This renewal of Doncasters’ contract with Siemens Energy reflects the hard work of all our employees and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to cement our relationship with one of our oldest and largest customers.This agreement forms the backbone to the significant capital investments in capacity and capability currently underway or planned to support growth in our airfoil casting plants.”
For further information www.doncasters.com

GTMA and AMUK ready for take-off

The GTMA and Additive Manufacturing UK (AMUK) will jointly host the free-to-attend Manufacturing Solutions UK event at RAF Museum Midlands, Cosford, on 14 September. This year, the event is incorporating the metrology, testing and inspection show Make Measurement Matter, as well as additive and other manufacturing technologies. The event has been held in various locations across the UK for a number of years, but this will be the first time back since the pandemic.

The prestigious RAF Cosford museum will provide a fabulous backdrop to the exhibition area, with exhibitors and visitors surrounded by iconic aircraft and the complete story of the RAF. Visitors can also glean valuable information with two keynote speakers at the event from Rolls-Royce: Dr Phil Bamforth, global lead for manufacturing product verification and measurement; and Joseph Green, measurement team lead for defence manufacturing in Bristol.
For further information www.bit.ly/3GYsR3d

20,000 XYZ spare parts on the shelf

As part of its push to offer the best possible service to its customers, XYZ Machine Tools now holds nearly £2m worth of stock at its head office in Devon, which equates to around 20,000 different parts in 18,000 sq ft of storage over three levels. Around 70% is for the current machine range while the remainder are legacy parts for previous models, including somemore than 30years old. The stores aim to ship parts for next day delivery when ordered before 15:00.

XYZ’s new spares website is now live, making iteasy to find products based on searches by machine type, model and part number. XYZ’s telephone support is available to help customers identify the requiredcomponent. The company maintains stock levels using its MRP system backed up by physical stock checks to ensure accuracy. “We make a considerable investment in parts to make sure we can achieve the top-class service standards we set ourselves,” says managing director Nigel Atherton.
For further information https://newspares.xyzmachinetools.com

More Insight from Mills CNC

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of DN Solutions’ and Zayer machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has published a new ‘Summer Edition’ of Insight, the company’s customer-facing magazine.Available in digital format and accessed from the company’s website, this latest edition contains a retrospective overview of Mills’ business performance over the past six months, focusing on how it is addressing rising demand for machine tools and automation systems against a backdrop of macro-economic challenges and supply-side issues in Q1 and Q2.

Says CEO Tony Dale:“2023 is proving to be a great year for Mills CNC, possibly the best in our 49-year history, with machine tool and automation system sales hitting record levels.In this edition of Insight there are in-depth features on a number of customers who, through their progressive investment programmes and loyalty to Mills CNC, are helping make this a reality.”
For further information www.bit.ly/3O5PRjf

UK aerospace receives £80m boost

The UK is to benefit from an£50m boost to composites R&D for aero-structure manufacturing, with a new research facility set for construction in South Yorkshire that has aerospace giant Boeing as its first major research partner.The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) has secured the investment to establish the Compass (Composites at Speed and Scale) facility in Sheffield. The news was announced on 13 July by UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, as part of the South Yorkshire Investment Zone.

“Our first Investment Zone is a shining example of how we will drive growth across the country,” he said. “It’s already secured more than £80m of private investment, including backing from Boeing, and will help support more than 8000 jobs by 2030.”On the back of the research, Boeing has committed to procuring in excess of £2bn of UK-manufactured goods per year to support the production of the company’s next civil passenger aircraft.
For further information www.amrc.co.uk