Leading aerospace companies including Airbus and Safran Landing Systems are working with a consortium led by the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) on a new project aiming to offer a major sustainability boost, as well as cost and lead time savings, through a combination of forging, forming and additive manufacturing. The ‘Hybrid Direct Energy Deposition (DED) Sprint’ project partners include NMIS Digital Factory, Cranfield University and the Northern Ireland Technology Centre, along with an industry steering group of 13 companies.

The group is working to devise a new hybrid DED process that will help overcome current challenges that manufacturers face regarding the expensive and time-consuming process of manufacturing critical components required to operate under harsh environments. Although currently focused on the aerospace sector, the method will be applicable to a wide variety of industries including oil and gas, defence, space and automotive.

For further information www.nmis.scot

XYZ Machine Tools has appointed Martyn Jones to the position of area sales manager. Jones is making a return to the company after a 12-month break, during which he continued his excellent track record of selling machine tools. However, a chance encounter highlighted the opportunity to return to XYZ Machine Tools and he grabbed it with both hands having recognised that making the sale was just part of the overall picture and that he was missing greater involvement and autonomy.
“Basically, I forgot how fulfilling it was to work with a customer from initial enquiry, completing the demonstration myself in many cases and getting involved with training the operators when required,” he says. “All of this gets you close to the customer and strong relationships are the result.” Jones is now responsible for sales of the XYZ Machine Tools’ range in the Coventry (CV), Hemel Hempstead (HP), Milton Keynes (MK), Oxford (OX) and Reading (RG) postcodes.

For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Southern Manufacturing 2022 takes place this week on 8-10 February. From modest beginnings as a regional event, Southern Manufacturing has evolved into a fully-fledged national show, with increasing influence across continental Europe and further afield. In 2018, the event entered its third decade with a move into its new permanent home, the £35m Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre, a 20,000m sq m complex offering world-class facilities, easy access and free onsite parking.

Although the event is important enough to attract big name manufacturers, it is also an extremely accessible show for the rich eco-system of engineering SMEs operating across the UK, and increasingly, mainland Europe. As usual, MTI magazine will be present at the show. From Stand G230, passing visitors can pick up a copy of our show issue, or call in to learn more about the industry’s easiest way to buy and sell machine tools.

For further information
www.industrysouth.co.uk

XYZ Machine Tools has announced the grand opening of its new showroom in Scotland. Located in Livingston, the facility will open its doors to existing and potential customers for the first time on 23 February and all are invited, with no requirement to register. The doors will officially open at 09:00, with live demonstrations of various XYZ machines taking place throughout the day up to 15:00.

An added incentive will be the offer of a £250 Ceratizit tooling voucher for every company attending, which can be spent on anything from the Ceratizit catalogue. With refreshments served throughout the day and buffet lunch provided, XYZ Machine Tools is looking forward to welcoming Scotland’s manufacturing community.

For further information
www.xyzmachinetools.com

The economic rebound from the Covid-19 lockdowns enabled Yamazaki Mazak to record a strong year for machine sales in 2021, including its highest monthly order intake across Europe in its history in October.

“The combination of a rebound in general subcontracting, strong sales in food and packaging, resilient yellow goods and agriculture sectors, and continued strong levels of investment from energy sector customers have all delivered outstanding sales growth,” says Alan Mucklow, managing director of UK sales, Eire and national distributors, who is cautiously optimistic about the year ahead. “The economic situation is not without challenges, but we’re expecting a rebound in aerospace and further growth in turnkey automation solutions to help machine users navigate the skills challenge.”

For further information
www.mazakeu.co.uk