Pemamek has delivered two PEMA automated welding lines, designed for foundation pin pile production, to CSBC Corp in Taiwan.

The investment is a part of CSBC’s business development initiative to become an offshore wind energy turnkey provider and expand its operations in national offshore wind energy markets. The automated solutions will enable CSBC to significantly increase its competitiveness, and boost manufacturing capacity and quality.
CSBC’s new lines are designed to manufacture pin piles for offshore jacket foundations, and have the capacity of processing pin piles up to 350 tons and 90 m. Included are three longitudinal seam welding stations, two assembly stations capable of welding internal circular seams, two welding platforms that operate simultaneously with two welding heads, integrated heavy-duty roller beds with polyurethane rollers, and a PEMA WeldControl 500 control system with laser-tracking.
For further information https://pemamek.com/

BAE Systems will take on 800 apprentices in the UK in 2020, the highest number ever recruited.

The recruits will join one of more than 25 apprenticeship programmes across the company’s air, maritime, land and cyber divisions, benefitting from tailored schemes that combine recognised qualifications with on-the-job training. BAE’s latest apprentices will work on programmes that include developing future combat air technologies for the Royal Air Force, and Dreadnought – a new generation of submarine for the Royal Navy that will replace the current Vanguard class.
For further information www.baesystems.com

Aston Martin Lagonda last month opened its new manufacturing facility in St Athan, Wales. First Minister of Wales, Rt Hon Mark Drakeford joined Aston Martin Lagonda president and group CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, at a ceremony to officially open the plant.

While Gaydon continues to be the home of the company’s sports car production, St Athan is the home of Aston Martin’s first SUV, the DBX. Upon the commencement of full production at St Athan in the second quarter of 2020, the company will have created up to 600 skilled jobs, rising to 750 at peak production.
In 2016, Aston Martin Lagonda chose the 90-acre St Athan site to be its newest centre of manufacturing excellence in the UK. Phase I of construction saw the creation of the customer and staff reception areas, administration and management offices, and the employee restaurant. Phase II got underway in spring 2017 after the ceremonial handover of the three super-hangars that now house the new manufacturing facility.
The final phase to fit out the now-converted super-hangars got underway in late 2018, ready for pre-production to commence in 2019.
For further information www.astonmartinlagonda.com

Martin Barber has been appointed to the role of premium product sales manager at XYZ Machine Tools, where he will have responsibility for sales of the company’s five-axis machining centres and the Robo-Tend machine-tending system.

Barber brings to the role over 30 years’ experience working in production environments and machine-tool sales.
“Martin’s experience in selling high-value multi-axis machine tools will be a terrific addition to our team,” says Nigel Atherton, managing director. “To win over potential customers who may not be traditional XYZ buyers, we need a dedicated resource in this area.”
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

PP Profiles (West Yorkshire) Ltd has bought a plasma and flame cutting machine from Kerf Developments that measures 39 m in length.

To get a scale of the workload at the Batley-based heavy engineering business, it is processing an average of 400 to 500 tonnes of steel every month, and almost 40% of this material is run through the new Kerf RUR4500. It is this reliance on the Kerf plasma and flame cutting machine that justified its acquisition. The level of investment at PP Profiles (West Yorkshire) Ltd now stands at more than £2m in the past two years.
The reason behind the investment in the colossal Kerf RUR4500 was due to two older 12 x 2.5 m flame cutting machines – and a 6 m plasma machine – proving unreliable, creating an inefficient workflow.
Commercial director Daniel Morley says: “We specified the Kerf RUR4500 with a single high definition 400 A plasma cutting head on a 12 x 4 m bed and a two-machine 24 x 4 m bed that consists of both a six-head and a four-head flame cutting gantry – all in a single 39 x 4 m cell. This allows us to load much larger jobs and has opened us up to new markets, as parts over 12 m long are not uncommon.”
The arrival of the Kerf RUR4500 machine made the previous two flame and one plasma machine surplus to requirements, reducing the required floor area and improving efficiency and workflow.
“Now, we have four people running the three machines within the Kerf RUR4500 cell,” says Morley. “This workflow configuration has reduced our processing times by at least 50%.”
For further information www.kerfdevelopments.com