BGF – a UK-based capital investor – has invested a further £4m in Midlands-headquartered automotive components manufacturer, Sertec Group, as the business looks ahead to European growth. In 2020, Sertec secured significant new contract wins in the electric vehicle (EV) and lightweight technology markets, using its engineering expertise and technology know-how. The company has also recently completed a world-class battery component assembly line in Coleshill. Sertec Group has six manufacturing sites in the Midlands, plus other facilities in Hungary, Germany and China.

For further information
www.sertec.co.uk

A new project at the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing (NCAM), based at the MTC in Coventry, aims to transform the use of additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing in highly regulated industries. Currently the adoption of AM in sectors such as aerospace is hindered somewhat by the lack of standards for part quality, reliability, traceability and process repeatability. The Daedalus project, funded by UK Research and Innovation, will help make the UK become the go-to place for forward-thinking manufacturing by enabling AM in highly regulated industries such as aerospace, space, oil and gas, and medical.

For further information http://ncam.the-mtc.org/

The board of the High-Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVM Catapult) has named Katherine Bennett, senior vice president at Airbus UK, as the successor to Dick Elsy when he retires later in 2021. The announcement follows a formal recruitment process led by the chair of the HVM Catapult, Allan Cook. Bennett was awarded a CBE in January 2019 for services to the aerospace and aviation sector, while in July 2018 she founded the UK’s Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter, which is committed to building a fair and balanced industry for women in the sector.

For further information www.hvm.catapult.org.uk

The Mayor of the West Midlands praised Alucast’s commitment to investing in new technology and its people during a recent visit. Andy Street (pictured right) received a socially distanced tour of the aluminium casting specialist’s facility in Wednesbury to understand how the company is bouncing back from COVID-19 by targeting new opportunities in lightweighting – a major growth market with castings at its heart. The Mayor talked with staff to understand how it is supporting major OEMs in the automotive sector, as well as supplying parts to the hydraulics and chemical industries.

There was also time to find out more about the £2.2m investment in a new CNC machining shop that features six five-axis CNC machine tools. This advanced equipment will give Alucast the speed and precision necessary to meet the just-in-time delivery requirements of existing and future orders.

For further information www.alucast.co.uk

Keighley-based PFF has created 100 jobs and invested more than £2m in its custom-built machines for manufacturing PPE. The investment follows PFF’s appointment by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to manufacture 360 million disposable polythene aprons for frontline NHS staff and social-care workers. PFF began manufacturing aprons using existing machinery purchased from international suppliers, but has now collaborated with British machine manufacturer Hanbury-Autogil to design and commission two bespoke, faster machines. The firm is also investing in four folding machines.

For further information www.pff.uk.com