UK NEWS

Seco wants to employ more women engineers

Engineering has long been male dominated, but Seco Tools is working to encourage more gender diversity. The company’s commitment to gender diversity includes its global Female Talent Programme. Seco is also a signatory to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, where Goal number five seeks to ‘Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’.“We are trying to encourage more young women to enter the industry because we need more diverse perspectives,” says Zoe Wood, HR manager at Seco Tools UK.“Women often have a different way of looking at problems and coming up with alternative solutions.”
For further information www.secotools.com

Prime Minister operates XYZ lathe

A recent visit to Truro and Penwith College in Cornwallgave the Prime Minister the chance to try his hand at operating an XYZ 1330 Trainer lathe. The visit – to mark National Apprenticeship Week – was an opportunity for Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy to appreciate for themselves the valuable work performed by the college, which is rated as ‘outstanding’ and attracts students from across the county and wider southeast. Level 3 machining apprentice Daniel Wright, who now works for West Pharmaceutical Services, guided the Prime Minister through face-turning operations.

At the Truro site there are: 11 manual lathes; XYZ 1330 and XYZ 1530, 2 XYZ RLX 1630 CNC lathes with ProtoTRAK controls; five XYZ 2000 manual mills;one XYZ 1020 surface grinder; two RMX 2500 CNC mills with ProtoTRAK controls;and one XYZ 660 HD VMC with Siemens 828D control. A new campus in Bodmin will have: six XYZ 1330 manual lathes; three XYZ 2000 manual mills;one RMX 2500 CNC mill with ProtoTRAK control; one RLX 1630 CNC lathe with ProtoTRAK control; and one XYZ 660 HD VMC with Siemens 828D control.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Ward CNC strengthens sales manager network

TW Ward CNC Machinery (Ward CNC) has expanded its presence across the Yorkshire and East regions by appointing John Hawkins as regional sales manager. Hawkins brings a wealth of technical and sales experience within the machine tool and engineering industry, possessing over 20 years of selling high value/high technology solutions, capital equipment and associated software to major manufacturers and OEM customers in the UK and overseas.“The comprehensive range of products and highly reputable brands is one of the key reasons why I am so pleased to be joining Ward CNC,” he says.
For further information www.wardcnc.com

Subcontract market surges by 60%

The latest Contract Manufacturing Index (CMI) shows that the UK subcontract manufacturing market surged by 60% in the first three months of 2023 compared with the previous quarter. As political and economic uncertainty eased, high-value purchasing organisation came back to the market and the release of pent-up demand saw activity soar.
The market jumped by 178% from December 2022 to January 2023 and remained healthy for the rest of the quarter.

Overall, the first quarter of 2023 was 31% higher than the first quarter of 2022, demonstrating consistent growth in the longer term. The CMI, produced by sourcing specialist Qimtek, reflects the total purchasing budget for the outsourced manufacturing of companies looking to place business in any given month. This represents a sample of over 4000 companies who could be placing business,which together have a purchasing budget of more than £3.4bn and a supplier base of over 7000 companies with a verified turnover in excess of £25bn.
For further information www.qimtek.co.uk

MACH 2024 headline sponsor confirmed

Lloyds Bank has confirmed its headline sponsorship of MACH 2024 (Birmingham NEC, 15-19 April), the sixth time the bank done so. Commenting on the new deal, James Selka (photo, right),CEO at the Manufacturing Technologies Association, the organiser of MACH 2024, says:“Manufacturing is the heartbeat of the UK economy and growing a resilient manufacturing industry has never been more important. Lloyds Bank is an ideal partner for MACH as we share common goals and commitments, including sustainability across the sector.”

Dave Atkinson (photo, left), UK head of manufacturing at Lloyds Bank, adds: “Making the transition to net zero represents a significant growth opportunity for the UK economy, particularly for the manufacturing sector. However, we must invest in technology and skills to support such an ambitious change. Lloyds Bank is delighted to again sponsor MACH, the UK’s national showcase for the best in next-generation manufacturing technologies.”
For further information www.machexhibition.com