UK NEWS

Investment drives growth

One of the UK’s major manufacturers, fabricators and installers of access products – Teesside based Lionweld Kennedy – is making a £1.5m investment in its site and machinery as the company breaks ground on a new multipurpose building and installs the UK’s first shearing machine for steel grating. The investment will see the business further consolidate its position as one of the region’s largest employers. With the installation of a shear grating machine Lionweld expects to increase the production capacity of its Safegrid gratings by over 40%, while simultaneously eliminating all waste production associated with cutting. For more information www.lk-uk.com

ETG locks-in to cybersecurity benefits

With cyberattacks proving an ever-increasing threat to industry, the Engineering Technology Group (ETG) has become Cyber Essentials certified. The Government-backed scheme supports businesses in their plight to guard critical assets and data against the most common cyber threats. By undertaking the programme, ETG is demonstrating its commitment to the cybersecurity of staff and business assets, as well as customers and suppliers. The journey to Cyber Essentials certification has required significant investment from ETG, with new firmware and hardware now in place.

For more information www.engtechgroup.com

Bringing automation and robots to life

The return of Automation UK is fast approaching, with the show once again taking place at the Coventry Building Society Arena on 18-19 June 2024. The event is organised and owned by the British Automation and Robot Association (BARA) and promotes the uses and benefits of automation and robotics in the UK. Over 50 companies will be exhibiting their products and services, which will include robots, robotics systems, systems integration, automation control parts and systems, and sensors and machine safety. Visitors will benefit from meeting exhibiting experts, suppliers, technicians and advisors.

For more information www.automation-uk.co.uk

William Mitchell seals Ford Q1 Award

A critical automotive supplier has secured one of the industry’s leading awards for quality and performance. William Mitchell, which is part of the Rical Group, has been recognised with the Ford Q1 award, marking the 20th year it has been supplying fine-blanked components to the carmaker’s plants in the UK, Germany, South Africa, Argentina, India, Turkey and the US.

The certification was presented to the management team and staff at the Black Country firm’s factory in Smethwick last week. It is only given to companies who demonstrate excellence beyond the ISO/TS standard in five key areas: capable systems, continuous improvement, on-time delivery and quality, superior manufacturing processes, and customer satisfaction.

For more information www.ricalgroup.com

Aberlink wins King’s Award for innovation

Aberlink has been honoured with a King’s Award for Enterprise 2024 in the Innovation category. The accolade is in recognition of the design innovation and error mapping demonstrated during the development of the company’s Extol CNC CMM. Company owner Marcus Eales says: “This prestigious award underscores 30 years of constantly pushing to create unique solutions to metrology problems that have applications worldwide. The Extol CNC CMM is an excellent example of this in practice.” Employing 44 people, Aberlink was founded in 1993 and claims to be the largest UK-owned manufacturer of CMMs.

For more information www.aberlink.com