The MTC’s Tilly Shilling Initiative is hosting a series of virtual webinars to promote diversity and inclusivity in manufacturing. A total of seven webinars, run in conjunction with OAS, aim to encourage diversity, inclusion and family balance in STEM and the engineering community. At the first event, the MTC discussed the importance of LGBT+ diversity in manufacturing, and this webinar is now available on demand. The second event on 23 June will discuss the role of women in engineering, with other events set to cover employability, neurodiversity, the role of parents, racial diversity and authenticity in the workplace.

For further information www.the-mtc.org

Crestchic Loadbanks, a UK-headquartered manufacturer of load testing equipment, has announced plans to extend its factory, adding 60% to the current site footprint, while also recruiting a further 30 people. Work is officially due to commence in August 2021, with an anticipated nine-month build time. The company, based in Burton-on-Trent, has bucked the trend during the recent pandemic, resulting in the need to expand and recruit new talent. Paul Brickman, sales and marketing director at Crestchic, says: “The investments we are making in our business will help to meet increased demand from our core sectors.”

For further information
www.crestchicloadbanks.com

Leicester-based industrial supplies distributor, Cromwell, has been recognised as one of the UK’s best workplaces by workplace recognition programme, Great Place to Work. Cromwell, a global supplier of industrial tools and equipment, ranked 11 out of 33 in the super large category, which includes businesses with 1000 or more employees. The accolade is based on a rigorous evaluation process that takes both employee feedback and organisational practices into consideration. Cromwell scored 81% on the Trust Index employee survey, a key element of the process.

For further information www.cromwell.co.uk

Stainless Metalcraft has agreed to enter into stage two of its contract to provide circa 1000 3M3 boxes for Sellafield. The boxes are for storing intermediate level waste retrieved from silos at legacy locations in Cumbria. In environmental terms, the storage project represents one of the most positive and important intergenerational equity deliverables of the next few decades, developing and implementing critical technology to bequeath a pristine environment to posterity. The contract is now worth up to £70m, an approximate uplift of £20m against the original contract.

For further information
www.metalcraft.co.uk

The manufacturer of the turbines and blades for what will be Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm has confirmed that 87% of the blades are set for production in the UK. Of the 114 V164 blade sets required for the 1075 MW Seagreen project, Vestas will produce 99 blade sets (or 297 blades in total) domestically, ready for installation off the Angus coast by the end of 2022. Production by Vestas is currently underway at its blade factory and R&D centre in Newport on the Isle of Wight. The Seagreen project is a £3bn joint venture project between TotalEnergies (51%) and SSE Renewables (49%).

For further information
www.sserenewables.com