A family-run engineering company in Coventry is playing a major role in the UK’s response to COVID-19 after supplying more than 120 miles of medical gas copper pipes in just six months. Lawton Tubes switched the majority of its production of copper tubes to cater for demand from the NHS and healthcare providers. The tubes are the preferred natural, 100% recyclable, safe means of carrying medical gasses from the plant room to the patient’s bed. Lawton Tubes’ biggest NHS contract to date was for the Nightingale Birmingham Hospital, where it supplied 10 miles of copper tube and thousands of copper fittings for a large mains gas ring.

For further information www.lawtontubes.co.uk

Supply-chain software business Valuechain is uniting with the West England Aerospace Forum (WEAF), North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA) and Rail Forum Midlands (RFM) to kick-off of a new project: Accelerate Cross-sector Collaborative Ecosystems and Sustainable Supply-chains (ACCESS). Funded by Innovate UK, the project will create a digital business networking platform developed by Valuechain to facilitate inter-company communication and collaboration. The project builds on Valuechain’s iQluster platform, used recently by Made Smarter’s North West Pilot to map companies and their capabilities in the region.

For further information
www.valuechain.com

The University of Sheffield’s AMRC will host two new Smart Factory Innovation Hubs as part of a pilot scheme to accelerate growth in the manufacturing sector through better use of digital technologies. Smart Factory Innovation Hubs are being led by the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult and Made Smarter, which together constitute the UK’s manufacturing digitalisation movement. The project will see HVM Catapult’s network, which includes the AMRC and Nuclear AMRC, offer companies the opportunity to reduce the risk of implementing new digital manufacturing solutions within their businesses.

For further information www.hvm.catapult.org.uk/innovation-hubs

The UK SMR consortium, led by Rolls-Royce, expects to create 6000 regional UK jobs within the next five years and 40,000 in 15 years in a boost to the green economic recovery. These jobs will emerge if the UK Government makes a commitment that enables the build of 16 small modular reactor (SMR) power stations over the next 20 years. The power stations will help secure the UK’s net-zero commitments affordably, revitalise the UK’s regional industrial base and position the country to secure exports of at least £250bn. Factories in the Midlands and North of England will make up to 80% (by value) of the power station components.

For further information
www.rolls-royce.com

A Birmingham-based stamping specialist is pressing the button on a £1m project that will see it develop a new process to support the UK’s acceleration into electrification.

Brandauer has secured over £300,000 of funding from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund run by UK Research and Innovation to help it set-up a high volume e-machine stack line that will produce thin laminates required by the automotive and aerospace sectors. Working in partnership with WMG and supported by Jaguar Land Rover, the firm believes there is an initial £500,000 opportunity it can secure once the methodology is in place.

For further information www.brandauer.co.uk