A ‘Tier One Partnership’ has been agreed between the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) and global technology giant, Siemens.

The partnership aims to stimulate the uptake of digital technologies within the manufacturing industry and support the factories of the future across Scotland. Combining advanced manufacturing and digital expertise, the two organisations will work together to increase the adoption of industry 4.0 within the UK supply chain. Siemens will provide the research centre, located next to Glasgow Airport, with support in kind to the value of £200,000 per year.
For further information www.strath.ac.uk/research

Leicestershire-based precision engineering business, JJ Churchill, has been presented with the Rolls-Royce ‘Trusted to Deliver Excellence’ award. JJ Churchill specialises in the aerospace and defence sectors, and has more than 80 years’ experience in producing gas turbine blades from forgings, castings and solid billets.

The business was one of four companies presented with the award in a ceremony which took place in front of 120 business peers. The Rolls-Royce Trusted to Deliver Excellence award blueprints the ongoing commitment to delivering excellence to stakeholders and wider partnerships.
For further information www.jjchurchill.com

Austin Court, part of IET Venues, has installed a series of permanent engineering exhibits across the city-centre venue, celebrating ground-breaking objects and innovations from the West Midlands.

The conference and events venue has been redeveloped to showcase the contributions that engineers from Birmingham and the surrounding areas have made, including the X-ray scanner, pneumatic tyre, electric kettle, auto-changing record player, mass produced steel nib pens, celluloid, and even the first weather map.
For further information https://austincourt.theiet.org/

The Safety and Health Engineering Partnership (SHEP) is running a free one-day welding fume and metalworking fluid seminar on 26 November to help SMEs keep their workforces safe and their companies on the right side of the law.

The focus of the HSE’s January-March 2020 inspection programme will be on ensuring companies have effective control measures in place to minimise the risks associated with exposure to metalworking fluids and welding fumes. All welding fumes are now classed as carcinogenic, while metalworking fluids can cause occupational asthma, occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis and dermatitis.
For further information https://is.gd/lapeti

Mills CNC’s recent ‘Another Giant Leap’ open house pulled in the crowds, resulting in the sale of eight machine tools and three collaborative robots, plus the generation of over 100 significant enquiries.

The total number of visitors attending the event, where 15 Doosan machine tools were exhibited, including four machines making their UK debuts, and where the company showcased its advanced industrial and collaborative robot solutions, exceeded 350 over the two days.
A constant theme throughout the event was automation and the way it can help component manufacturers improve their productivity.
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk