A Glasgow-based circular economy business has helped demonstrate how a new technology could make it easier for products to be repaired, reused and recycled. A six‑month trial led by the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), in partnership with Glasgow-based Circulus, successfully tested the use of digital product passports (DPPs) within a real-world remanufacturing environment.

During the trial, NMIS worked closely with Circulus to map how information moves through the company’s operations and identify how product data could be captured and shared more effectively. To test the approach without affecting day-to-day operations, a replica of Circulus’s HIVE business management system was created, allowing the technology to be trialled in an environment that closely mirrored live operations.More information www.nmis.scot

Alstom, a global specialist in smart and sustainable mobility, recently hosted Prime Minister Andy Burnham at its Litchurch Lane Works factory in Derby, where he announced the launch of new technical education routes. The PM met around 100 apprentices and graduates in Alstom’s National Training Academy, providing the backdrop for changes to the UK’s education system.

Litchurch Lane has built trains for 150 years. Without it, the UK would be the only G7 economy unable to design, engineer, build and test trains for its national railway network. Alstom’s £720m annual spend with almost 1300 British suppliers shows how rail procurement can be a core driver of reindustrialising Britain, supporting skills, jobs and economic growth across the country.

More information www.alstom.com

Already providing one of the tube-bending sector’s most comprehensive consumable and precision bend tooling manufacturing and stockholding services, UK-based Unison Ltd is planning to expand its specialist, made-to-order tooling capability. Typically, the service involves helping customers develop tooling for new tubular products, assisting where tooling is required for challenging new applications, replacing worn tooling and the bespoke manufacture of tooling for straightforward tube bending tasks.

Although Unison Ltd recognises that its made-to-order tooling service will always be a niche offering, unlike its regular bend tooling service which serves more than 20 countries globally, the UK business believes it’s an important addition to its overall customer support package.

More information www.unisonltd.com

Chemical etching specialist Precision Micro has seen semiconductor-related revenue rise by 43% over the past year, with these applications now accounting for around half of the company’s total revenue. As investment in AI, high-performance computing and advanced semiconductor manufacturing accelerates, demand for precision-etched metal components is placing increasing pressure on specialist manufacturing capacity. Precision Micro has secured multiple six-figure orders this year to manufacture ultra-precise metal components used throughout semiconductor production and thermal management systems.

More information www.precisionmicro.com