Editor’s Pick

Metals Supply Chain Joins Together

UK Metals Expo, a leading UK exhibition that brings the entire metals supply chain together with the worlds of engineering, manufacturing and construction, will open its doors next week (10-11 September) at the NEC in Birmingham. Over 7500 visitors are expected at the show, seeking everything from primary metal manufacturing and metal processing to metalworking, fabrication, CNC machinery, surface finishing and recycling.

More than 320 exhibitors will showcase products and solutions across the entire supply chain, while 100+ speakers will share their knowledge, innovations, insights and best practices across 30+ seminar sessions. Show visitors can: learn about new technology, machinery, tools, training and services; source a wide range of materials from leading metal stockholders and distributors; and connect with market experts – all under one roof.

More information www.ukmetalsexpo.com

Whitehouse Names Business Development Manager

Whitehouse Machine Tools, a supplier of CNC production solutions to manufacturers in the UK and Ireland, has expanded its national sales team with the appointment of Owen Gibbons. As business development manager, Gibbons will be responsible for supporting customers across the southeast of England. 

With a strong technical background and a proven track record in engineering, Gibbons has spent virtually his entire career in the machine tool industry. Known for his personable approach and deep understanding of customer needs, he is set to play a pivotal role in strengthening relationships, helping customers identify the right equipment for their production challenges, and driving business growth in the region.

More information www.wmtcnc.com

£100,000 robotics investment at Wallwork

In a £100,000 investment, Wallwork Group has introduced a UR collaborative robot (cobot)  to its vacuum brazing line in Cambridge. The move will make high-volume brazed components a commercially viable option for many manufacturers. With its 12.5 kg payload and  1300 mm reach, the cobot has the ability to learn as it goes along via a continuous improvement process.

“Cost-effective, high-volume vacuum-brazed components have been out of reach until now, largely due to the amount of assembly and labour time required,” explains group director Simeon Collins. “This investment brings the advantages of vacuum brazing to components that were previously uneconomic to process. It also means we can develop the quality of customer products.”

More information www.bit.ly/46RE7vU

GEWEFA UK Adds Tool-Holder Range for Turning Centres

Under a sole agency agreement, GEWEFA UK has been appointed to sell and service in Britain and Ireland the driven and static tool holders, both standard and special, manufactured in Germany by Wendel Tools.

It means that the UK subsidiary of GEWEFA, also a German manufacturer of tool-holding and allied products, now probably offers the most comprehensive range of such equipment. The company arrives at this understanding because it also sells the products of six other partner firms, all but one being German: EWS (driven and static turning tool holders); Fahrion (chucks and collets); Nann (standard and special collets); Ott-Jakob (tool clamping systems); Pibomulti (a Swiss manufacturer of angle heads, speeders and multi-spindle heads); and Rineck (heat-shrink tool holders and machines).

Nicole Lloyd-Foxe, managing director of GEWEFA UK, says: “We regularly receive enquiries from manufacturers seeking bespoke driven and static tooling for very specific production applications on turning centres. However, our parent company and other principals either do not include them in their portfolios, or are unable to supply them quickly enough and at reasonable cost.”

She continues: “This is exactly where Wendel scores highly. Following my visit to their stand at the AMB machine tool show in Stuttgart last September, where we discussed adding their products to our portfolio, we have now been appointed to represent them exclusively in the UK and Irish markets.”

Lloyd-Foxe adds that the manufacturer’s products are known to be of high quality and robust, while the ‘specials’ in particular benefit from a knowledgeable and experienced design team in Germany.

More information www.gewefa.co.uk

Subcontract Market Up 61% in Q2

The UK subcontract manufacturing market leapt ahead in the second quarter of 2025 as large buyers returned to the market with new projects. The signs are that there are more to come. The latest Contract Manufacturing Index (CMI) shows that the subcontract market was up 61% on Q1 20205, which was itself 50% up on Q4 2024.

Commenting on the figures, Qimtek owner Karl Wigart says: “It’s good to see the market up on the previous quarter; it finally seems to be getting up some momentum and shrugging off potential adverse factors. We’re hearing that there are more projects to come, but buyers are not sure when that will be. Hopefully this growth will continue in the next quarter.”

More information www.qimtek.co.uk