UK NEWS

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

Precision press will advance innovation and sustainability

Taking advantage of new export opportunities has seen a Middlesex manufacturer invest more than £300,000 in a new high-speed precision stamping press line.Eden Ltd, a specialist in optical air-blown fibre and cables fittings for the global telecommunication industry, renewed a 35-year working relationship with Bruderer UK to place the order for the BSTA 180-36B press, fitted with the latest high-speed precision servo feeder.

The machine is already delivering greater accuracies, with Bruderer UK’s quick lift-ram technology – that dynamically adjusts bottom dead centre position whilst in operation – meaning the business can guarantee process stability and part quality to customers regardless of the volumes required.

“A pre-owned Bruderer BSTA 30 was one of the first machines I bought when I started the business back in 1993,” explained Dave Hawkins, chairman of Eden.“It’s given us tremendous service and reliability, so when we were looking to advance our press shops technology to make parts ten times quicker to compete with Far East competition, there was only one investment I was going to make and the new Bruderer press is going to be fantastic for us.”

He continues: “We’ve seen demand increase significantly since lockdown, as we’re one of the few companies worldwide that control all elements of manufacturing in-house. We haveinvested some £1.5m over the past 18 months, culminating in the acquisition of the high-speed precision press.”

The Bruderer UK technical team worked with Eden to spec the BSTA 180-36B to its exact requirements, adding a high-speed precision BSV75 servo feeder (including automatic material thickness adjustment) and other options to help accelerate tool development, tool changeovers and the efficiency of the whole process.
For further information www.bruderer.co.uk

HEP secures new lease with BAE Systems

Humber Enterprise Park (HEP) has secured a new 10-year lease agreement with BAE Systems, which will maintain its 500,000 sq ft centre for digital engineering excellence on the strategic site. The global defence and aerospace company leases office, warehouse and R&D space at HEP. Notably, the renewal of the lease coincides with BAE Systems’ recent recruitment announcement for potential 100 new roles, adding to the existing 700 BAE Systems employees already working at the site.BAE Systems has a heritage at HEP that stretches back over a century to 1916.
For further information www.humberenterprisepark.co.uk