Sixth Dugard installation supports Growth at Dicker

Nestled in the South Downs of East Sussex, Dicker Precision Components has been quietly building a reputation for excellence in precision machining since its founding in 1973. What began as a small CNC workshop in Hailsham has evolved into a thriving machine shop with the support of machine tools from Dugard.

The company’s location near Eastbourne proves advantageous for its core market focus, as Director Mark Love explains: “Some 90% of our business is related to the pump industry and 90% of this involves machining stainless steel. The Eastbourne area is renowned for pump manufacture in the UK.”

This geographical advantage has helped Dicker Precision carve out a specialised niche serving everything from the aerospace and automotive sectors to the defence, medical and offshore sectors. To machine stainless, the company says it invests in Dugard machines for their rigidity, stability and power.

The latest acquisition, a Dugard 760XP VMC, represents both a strategic capacity increase and a technological upgrade designed to meet growing demand while improving productivity. The ‘XP’ designation refers to the direct drive spindle technology that adds power for the continuous stainless steel work that dominates Dicker Precision’s order book.

Says Brandon Love, deputy operations manager: “The direct drive spindle gives us something a bit stronger, addressing the demanding nature of machining stainless steel components for the pump industry, where precision and durability are paramount.”

A significant factor in the machine selection was the Siemens Sinumerik 828D control system, which maintains consistency across Dicker Precision’s machine shop.

“We run our other machines with Siemens, so it just makes sense for consistency and quick turnaround,” he adds. “It’s just so much faster to just keep all the CNC control panels the same.”

More information www.dugard.com

Motorsport Inspires RPH’s Hurco Machine Investment

RPH Manufacturing, a tier-one supplier based in Wimborne, has consistently prioritised precision, efficiency, cleanliness and innovation throughout its long history. At the helm is owner and managing director Richard Haim, whose passion for engineering, which began 57 years ago, led him to start his own company in 1981. Upon asking him why he has a preference for vertical machining centres from Hurco, he says: “I like the brand because I know a lot of the Formula 1 Teams are customers of theirs. I have been a lifelong motorsport enthusiast and I thought there could be no better endorsement to purchase a Hurco machine tool.”

Four Hurco VM-series machines, equipped with Max 5 twin-screen controls running proprietary WinMax conversational programming software, today form the backbone of RPH’s workshop. They enable the company to deliver more than 45,000 parts per year to a wide range of industries. Just-in-time and Kanban systems offer customers reliable, often daily supply of parts keep their businesses running and minimise their stockholding.

Haim is always open to innovations and new working methods that can make his business perform more efficiently. A good example is the way in which he has embraced Hurco’s Solid Model Import software. Already a user of Hurco DXF software, he was easily able to realise the additional benefits of applying dimensions directly from a STEP file into a conversational program. 

After 44 years in business, Haim is as committed as ever to running his VM-series machines and has set his sights firmly on reaching RPH’s 50-year trading milestone, which will be in 2031. His unwavering commitment to Hurco underscores the value the machines have brought to his business and his confidence in the supplier’s ability to support his continued success in the future.

More information www.hurco.com

Subcontract Market Continues to Grow

The UK subcontract manufacturing market carried on growing in the third quarter of 2025. It was up 10% on the previous quarter, which had already seen dramatic growth from April onwards. The CMI is produced by sourcing specialist Qimtek and reflects the total purchasing budget for outsourced manufacturing of companies looking to place business in any given month (representing a sample of over 4,000 companies).

The baseline for the index is 100, which represents the average size of the subcontract manufacturing market between 2014 and 2018.The CMI for the third quarter of 2025 was 113, compared with 103 for the second three months of the year.One a month-by-month basis, July was impressively strong – by far the strongest month of the year so far and a third higher than June.

More information www.qimtek.co.uk

EXCITEMENT BUILDS FOR ADVANCED ENGINEERING 2025

Taking place on 29-30 October 2025 at the NEC in Birmingham, Advanced Engineering is the UK’s only event that connects the entire industrial ecosystem: the show now features exciting additions like the expanded Composites Pavilion, the SME Village, the ADS Pavilion, AMForum (Additive Manufacturing and Advanced Materials Forum) and a focused Electronics Zone. Together, these zones provide fresh opportunities for innovation, collaboration and growth — all designed to power the possible.

This year’s event comes at a pivotal moment for UK industry, following the government’s announcement of a new 10-year industrial strategy. With measures that could reduce electricity bills by up to 25% for over 7000 manufacturing firms and billions earmarked for innovation, R&D and AI, the strategy signals a renewed focus on long-term industrial growth, a direction that will be reflected across the show floor at Advanced Engineering 2025.

The show will also champion real-world problem-solving and high-value manufacturing, from net-zero composites to energy-efficient processes. By bringing engineers and innovators together, meaningful change and the industry’s most pressing challenges across all sectors can be addressed, including sustainability and skills development.

Following a record-breaking 2024 event that welcomed over 9800 professionals, attendees can look forward to two action-packed days, filled with cutting-edge technology demonstrations, expert-led forums and networking opportunities.

A highlight for 2025 is the newly expanded Composites Pavilion, now in its fourth year and fully booked well in advance. Delivered in partnership with Composites UK, the pavilion offers smaller companies and SMEs turnkey exhibition pods — complete with branded displays, video screens and shelving — making it easy and cost-effective to showcase their innovations. Strategically located next to the Composites Networking Zone, the pavilion provides high visibility and attracts key OEM visitors.

Alongside the pavilion, the Composites Networking Zone will feature hands-on demos from PRF Composite Materials, showcasing cutting-edge prepreg systems including rapid processing RP570 presses and innovative recycled carbon solutions. Insights from end users across aerospace, automotive, marine and renewables will highlight how composites are driving high-performance applications and net-zero ambitions across sectors.

Building on this, Composites UK has reimagined the Composites Forum for 2025, curating two full days of expert-led sessions focused on sustainability, material circularity and new product development – all aimed at strengthening the sector’s innovation and collaboration. Here, the Composites Networking Zone will be a key feature, with PRF Composite Materials hosting interactive demos and networking sessions designed to foster valuable industry connections.

The event will also reinforce the role of SMEs and agile innovators through dedicated spaces such as the SME Village, platforming disruptive technologies across automation, embedded systems, semiconductors and more. These zones underscore the crucial role SMEs play in driving innovation and growth across the UK’s engineering and manufacturing sectors.

“Advanced Engineering is the only UK event that connects every corner of the industrial ecosystem,” says Simon Farnfield, event director of Advanced Engineering at Easyfairs UK & Global. “With zones focused on composites, electronics and SME innovation, and forums designed to address the industry’s biggest challenges, the 2025 edition is set to deliver even more value for visitors and exhibitors alike. This edition will feature over 400 exhibitors, including more than 130 making their debut, meaning that a lot of the stands will offer something brand new to discover.”

Indeed, the show is set to deliver a spectacular showcase of innovation with its Innovations Gallery, bringing together 14 pioneering technologies that are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in manufacturing and engineering. From cutting-edge composites to AI-driven manufacturing systems, the gallery will highlight solutions designed to improve productivity, sustainability and quality across industries.

The Innovations Gallery will offer attendees an immersive insight into how advanced materials, automation, AI and robotics are transforming manufacturing, offering a space to explore today and tomorrow’s possibilities. As a result, visitors will be able to explore breakthroughs such as Addyx’s Carbon Exoskeleton, a system of topology‑optimised composite ribs that improves stiffness‑to‑weight, strength‑to‑weight and impact resistance ratios. Meanwhile Matta Labs will demonstrate Blue, an AI‑powered inspection system capable of self‑learning anomaly detection, offering manufacturers a tool to cut waste and improve quality from day one.

In addition, the gallery will feature LATI UK’s electrically conductive thermoplastics, engineered to address safety challenges in explosive environments, and LATISHIELD compounds that combine conductivity with electromagnetic shielding.

Rockwood Aerospace is showcasing its precision propeller blades, offering lightweight, high‑performance solutions for electric vertical take‑off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) and drones. Meanwhile, Hexagon will present its coordinate measurement systems, supporting manufacturers of all sizes to enhance quality assurance and inspection capacity.

PRF Composite Materials is revealing two major innovations: the RP570 FR REEPREG, a fire‑retardant recycled carbon-fibre prepreg optimised for high‑volume manufacturing; and Q.tool recycled, a sustainable tooling system incorporating recycled carbon with substantial time‑saving benefits.

RVmagnetics will unveil the world’s smallest passive custom sensor, enabling contactless measurement of physical quantities in industries ranging from construction to biomedical applications.

“These are just a few examples of the incredible innovations visitors will be able to see at Advanced Engineering 2025,” says Simon Farnfield, Event Director at Easyfairs, organiser of Advanced Engineering. “The Innovations Gallery brings together pioneering technologies from across the industry, offering a unique opportunity to explore the cutting edge of manufacturing all under one roof and in a dedicated section. To help visitors find them easily, every exhibitor featured in the gallery will also have a lightbulb icon displayed on their stand.”

Elsewhere, Belotti ARC will demonstrate the first integrated automatic riveting cell, delivering high‑speed, precision assembly for composite structures in sectors such as aerospace and automotive.

MAPAL is introducing its upgraded UNIQ DReaM Chuck, offering hydraulic expansion technology for reaming and drilling applications with unmatched precision and adaptability.

These are just a handful of the innovations to be seen at Advanced Engineering 2025, which is taking place at the NEC Birmingham from 29-39 October. Free visitor registration is now open.

As a point of note, Atlas Copco is returning as the sponsor of the Automotive & Aerospace networking lounge for this year’s event, following success at the 2024 Advanced Engineering show.

“Atlas Copco will partner with key industry leaders to display the latest developments in smart factory advancement which is shaping the way manufacturers are adapting to changing demands in their production environments,” says Jessica Porter, marketing and communications manager at Atlas Copco Tools & Industrial Assembly Solutions.“By harnessing digitalisation with smart assembly tooling, automation, vision inspection and data-driven analysis solutions, manufacturers are transforming their processes to achieve sustainability, productivity and profitability goals.”

Over 200 expert speakers are also set to take stage across multiple forums to explore key topics including digitalisation, supply chain resilience, sustainability and government policy. The event will also continue its #MINDTHEskillsGAP initiative — launched to help tackle the UK’s ongoing shortage of engineering and manufacturing talent.

In addition, Composites UK will co-locate its Industry Awards Dinner on the evening of 29 October at the neighbouring National Motorcycle Museum, providing a prime networking opportunity for sector leaders.

Advanced Engineering is once again co-located with Lab Innovations, with all attendees receiving a single badge granting access to both events.

More information www.advancedengineeringuk.com

CVE Scoops Accolade for Second Year Running

Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (CVE) has been recognised as one of the UK’s Best
Workplaces in Manufacturing, Production & Transportation 2025, as announced by Great
Place To Work UK last month. At the heart of this recognition is the Trust Index employee
survey, which gathers anonymous insights from employees, focusing on key areas such as
work-life balance, job satisfaction, psychological safety and professional development.
The survey also evaluates how consistently organisations deliver a positive experience
across all departments and levels of seniority. Bob Nicolson, managing director at CVE, says:
“We’re proud to be recognised as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces in Manufacturing,
Production & Transportation for the second year running. At CVE, we believe that investing
in our people – their growth, wellbeing, and success – is the foundation of our progress.”
More information https://camvaceng.com/