Furloughed apprentices and employees are being given the opportunity to learn new skills thanks to a new package of support from the Training and Manufacturing Group (TMG).

The not-for-profit organisation is working with its technical partners to deliver a suite of technology courses to members that will help bridge the skills gap, increase R&D and support the post COVID-19 recovery.
Industry experts Bauromat, Guhring, ETG, Hexagon MI and Ceratizit WNT, alongside business specialists BDO, FBC Manby Bowdler and In-Comm Training, have agreed to host the interactive sessions completely free of charge and will cover crucial topics ranging from automation, robot/CNC programming and cutting tools, to arc/resistance welding, PLC programming and pneumatics. The courses will initially be delivered through short webinars or one-to-one sessions at partner sites, adhering to social distancing rules.
For further information www.in-comm-tmg.co.uk

Rocol will be donating 5% from sales of its new semi-synthetic cutting fluid to NHS Charities Together for the remainder of 2020, the company has confirmed. Ultracut 370 EP has been specially formulated for use on a range of ferrous and non-ferrous metals in both cutting and grinding operations.

Ian Fenney, Rocol metalworking fluids segment specialist, says: “As is the case for many businesses, we wanted to show our support to the NHS and the amazing work that people working in the health service have done during the COVID-19 pandemic. As Ultracut 370 EP is bright blue when diluted, it seemed fitting to donate a percentage of each barrel we sell for the rest of 2020 to NHS Charities Together.”
For further information www.rocol.com

Manufacturing output across the UK increased significantly in May from its record low level as factories started to emerge from the coronavirus lockdown, according to figures from the latest BDO Business Trends report.

BDO’s Manufacturing Output Index jumped by 16.58 points to 69.55 in May, regaining around half of the losses sustained between March and April as manufacturers benefited from the easing of UK lockdown measures. Kaley Crossthwaite, Partner at BDO LLP, say: “Output remains drastically below where it would be in ordinary times, but the latest readings suggest we have passed the rock bottom of this crisis.”
For further information www.neweconomy.bdo.co.uk

A company making heater plates for medical ventilators, suddenly found its annual order of around 160,000 doubled immediately, as the coronavirus crisis took hold. HV Wooding has produced heater plates for ventilator humidification chambers since 2004, but in the fight against COVID-19, its customer, Intersurgical, increased the order substantially.

At the same time, the company was asked to prototype three components for the Ventilator Challenge UK consortium. The Hythe-based company’s experience in CNC laser cutting – programmed with Radan sheet-metal software – meant it was ready to join the battle to save lives.
“Radan meant we could quickly condense all the necessary up-front work, which would normally take at least a month, into just a few days, and we successfully manufactured and delivered 2000 sets of each of the three components in a very short time frame,” explains sales director Paul Allen. The parts had to be laser cut and formed, then fitted with inserts before being sent to the assembly line at Luton. Allen says Radan played a major role in meeting this challenge.
For further information www.radan.com

3D printing specialist SYS Systems has been reaccredited with a coveted industry standard from the world’s biggest additive manufacturing company.

The Stratasys reseller has been awarded UK platinum partner status from its OEM – the eighth consecutive year that the honour has been bestowed on the Derbyshire firm.
This status – the highest possible recognition from Stratasys – is only awarded to high-performing partners based on strict proficiency criteria, including exceptional levels of customer service, training and support to back-up machine sales.
For further information www.sys-uk.com/additive