Yamazaki Mazak has received recognition for its ongoing work in the community as one of the inaugural recipients of the Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service’s Chief Fire Officer’s Employer Award. The honour is given to businesses in the Worcester and Hereford area for releasing employees to work as on-call firefighters. Christian Leatherdale, technical support engineer at Mazak’s Worcester-based European manufacturing plant, is a watch commander for the fire service with responsibility for a crew of 17. He has worked for Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service for seven years.

For further information www.hwfire.org.uk

Mills CNC reports that its attendance at MACH 2024 last month was a huge success. Hundreds of visitors made their way on to the stand over the five days and, in addition to generating a significant number of leads and enquiries, some 30 machine orders were taken during the event.

A cursory glance at the 30 machine tool orders reveals multiple orders for DN Solutions Lynx and Puma lathes and DNM vertical machining centres, along with others for an SMX mill-turn machine, a SYNERGi automated manufacturing cell and two high-speed tapping centres. The company also says a number of leads related to turnkey and process improvement project work, specifically involving Zayer machines.

For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

Britain’s manufacturers could boost their investment by up to £10bn if they were to take advantage of the range of public and private financial options available to them, helping to raise the investment potential of the sector overall by up to a fifth and address the UK’s long-term productivity weakness. This is according to Make UK’s latest report – Finance: Opening Doors to Investment in Manufacturing – published in partnership with NatWest and Lombard. It also finds that 26% would increase their own investment by up to a fifth if access to finance was improved, while12% would increase their investment by up to half. 

For further information www.makeuk.org

A leading battery technology manufacturer has completed the successful commissioning of what it describes as the world’s most advanced laser welding machine. The installation and operation of the IPG Photonics EV Flex welder is a significant milestone for the UK facility of Alexander Battery Technologies, which marks its 40th anniversary this year.

CEO Mark Rutherford says: “With the EV Flex laser now active, representing an investment of more than £500,000, our production has transformed. We can now produce our battery packs, crucial for high-end applications like e-mobility and robotic technology, with a level of precision and quality that sets a new industry standard.Our enhanced production capability has become a cornerstone of our robust growth strategy.”

For further information www.alexandertechnologies.com