Airborne UK has become a member of the National Composites Centre (NCC), presenting further opportunities for the two companies to work together on automation and collaborative digital projects with the goal of reducing the cost of manufacturing composite structures.

In addition to the development of automation and digitalisation, Airborne continues to provide engineering, design for manufacture, prototyping and part manufacturing solutions. As a tier-two member, the company will be able to access the NCC’s facilities and capabilities, as well as the expertise needed to support its ventures.
For further information www.nccuk.com

Angloco Ltd, the UK’s oldest manufacturer of fire engines, has secured a major deal to replace and service most of the existing fire fleet operated by the Ministry of Defence.

The £30m order comes as part of the Defence Fire and Rescue Project, a significant outsourcing contract recently awarded to Capita Plc. Under the contract, Angloco will not only supply more than 80 new fire vehicles, but will support them in the UK and around the world for the next 12 years. The announcement comes after recent news of Angloco’s second factory opening.
For further information www.angloco.co.uk

PP Control & Automation is on course for a record year after increasing annual sales to £26 million, just 12 months after attracting investment from Ardenton Capital.

The strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialist has seen demand for its solutions continue to rise against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, with the West Midlands-based firm now working with over 25 of the world’s largest machinery builders.
Now employing more than 220 people at its 5500 sq m facility, PP C&A delivers added-value design, engineering and complex assemblies to clients involved in aerospace, food processing, machine tool, packaging, printing and other advanced technologies. With renewed financial backing from the Canadian-based investor, PP C&A has added £3m of turnover in the past 12 months, and is now exploring the possibility of future acquisitions and a joint venture to establish a manufacturing footprint in North America.
For further information www.ppcanda.com

Tooling specialist Dormer Pramet has upgraded the way it presents product data descriptions and workpiece material groups (WMGs) across its entire assortment of cutting tools.

The company is introducing standard tooling data, such as diameters and lengths, according to ISO 13399, allowing for easier and faster exchange of information between computer systems and software. ISO 13399 features a total of 133 parameters, covering a wide range of cutting tools, helping to support manufacturing planning, machining operations and product supply.
In supporting a common language in its descriptions, Dormer Pramet will save customers and partners a significant amount of time, offering easier data gathering across its 40,000 solid and indexable tools. In addition, the company is providing a greater level of detail than ever before on its WMGs. Helping customers to find the right tool for the application and supporting the machining process, this change is also based on the commonly used ISO standard. However, it is taken a step further as it includes recommended starting values for speed and feed.
Dormer Pramet now provides three levels of data for each of its products within the newly devised WMG structure. The WMG structure features the standard ISO material definitions, based on the six coloured groups, plus additional classifications on material structure, composition, hardness and ultimate tensile strength. The newly created standard and improved WMG data has been implemented in all of Dormer Pramet’s product material published from November 2019 onwards.
For further information www.dormerpramet.com

Sheffield Forgemasters was awarded ‘Large Business of the Year’ at the Sheffield Business Awards earlier this month.

‘Large Business of the Year’ is presented to organisations employing over 100 full-time employees and/or reporting annual turnover of +£25m. The award goes to a business that has achieved consistent growth backed by a strong financial performance. This is reflective of the results Sheffield Forgemasters has achieved in recent years.
For further information www.sheffieldforgemasters.com