Digital transformation specialist PTC has entered into a partnership with the Manufacturing Technology Centre that will help industry embrace the latest technologies. PTC, which employs over 200 people in the UK, has become a Tier 2 member at the MTC and, as part of the agreement, will commit to providing the latest AR, IIoT platforms, PLM and CAD solutions to projects, thus equipping OEMs and SMEs with more digital capability. The move means that solutions such as Vuforia, Thingworx, Windchill
and Creo software, will all be available for
experts at the MTC to use.

For further information www.ptc.com

Work has commenced on a new UK facility for cutting tool specialist Sandvik Coromant. Established in Halesowen since 1958, the company will demolish the existing building and transform the site into a new landmark UK headquarters. In addition to housing employees, the facility will act as a hub for manufacturing innovation and
customer interaction.

The Halesowen site will also provide a comfortable and high-tech working space for the company’s UK employees. With flexible hot-desking space for 100 office-based workers, the site boasts an eco-conscious design. Key features include the installation of solar panels and 26 electric vehicle (EV) charging points, with the capacity to offer EV charging for all 130 parking spaces in the near future. The new facility is due to open in summer 2022.

For further information www.sandvik.coromant.com

Wall Colmonoy has completed a £600,000 upgrade to its casting facility in Pontardawe, Wales. The investment modernises the company’s casting foundry, reduces its environmental footprint and improves its efficiency. The investment is partly supported by Welsh and European funding, with a £150,000 contribution from the Economy Futures Fund. Among the new additions is induction melting equipment and magnetically screened furnaces. The new casting furnaces
offer increased capacity and reduced processing times, due to improved reliability and less downtime.

For further information
www.wallcolmonoy.com

Subcon 2021 (14-16 September, Birmingham NEC) will feature a three-day conference with forward-looking content that includes panel discussions and keynote addresses from Make UK CEO Stephen Phipson, Made in Britain CEO John Pearce, Manufacturing Excellence MD Paul Bell, NMITE associate professor Nadia Kourra and many more. Collectively, they will discuss everything from the UK’s role in low-carbon motoring and green mobility, to mastering the post-pandemic recovery and how attracting more young people to the industry can have a positive impact on the sector’s wellbeing, wealth and productivity.

For further information
www.subconshow.co.uk/sessions-2021

One of the UK’s leading manufacturers of high-performance alloys has completed a £100,000 investment in a new testing room at its West Midlands factory. Alloy Wire International (AWI), which celebrates 75 years in business in 2021, has designed and equipped the facility to include two tensile testers, a micro-Vickers hardness tester and four laboratory furnaces to support heat treatment. The company has also acquired macro and micro imaging technology and a custom-built metallographic lab to help with the preparation of materials.

For further information
www.alloywire.com