UK NEWS

UK’s top young innovators wow Parliament

The UK’s top young STEM innovators and finalists in ‘The Big Bang Competition’ were invited to Westminster recently as part of EngineeringUK’s annual ‘Big Bang at Parliament’ event, where they met MPs and showcased their impressive projects. A total of 20 students from eight schools across the country attended the event, which celebrates young people’s creativity and innovation in STEM. They were joined by parliamentarians, guests from the engineering and technology community, and Siemens, which supports the event. Entries to The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition 2026 are now open.

More information www.thebigbang.org.uk

Kyocera SGS to relocate European HQ

Kyocera SGS Precision Tools Europe (KSPTE) is relocating its European Headquarters from Wokingham, Berkshire, to the Kyocera Unimerco facility in Fradley, Staffordshire. The move will strengthen Kyocera’s European manufacturing and R&D capabilities, enhance operational efficiency, and reinforce the company’s commitment to providing value and service to customers across the region.

The relocation will create Kyocera’s largest carbide tool manufacturing site in Europe, establishing Fradley as the new European base for KSPTE. Customer benefits include centralised logistics, expanded R&D facilities, increased production capacity and lifecycle tooling support. Both KSPTE and Kyocera Unimerco will continue to operate independently while sharing infrastructure, technical collaboration and operational efficiencies.

More information https://kyocera-sgstool.co.uk

Policy centre to champion SME manufacturers 

A new independent policy centre has been established to give the UK’s vast network of SMEs in manufacturing and engineering a unified, influential voice in the corridors of power. More than 325,000 SMEs, in the engineering and manufacturing sectors, often supply chain businesses, are the backbone of the UK economy, driving innovation, job creation and growth. The centre’s mission is to engage SMEs directly, to unify and amplify their voices as an independent arbiter that brings together industry, industry bodies, policy organisations and government.  

More information https://enginuity.org/   

MACH 2026: Visitor Registration Now Live

In just over four months, the MACH 2026 exhibition will open its doors at the NEC, Birmingham to over 30,000 members of the manufacturing community – bringing together buyers, sellers, specifiers and designers. The biennial event offers an unmissable opportunity to experience new technology live and in action and is perfectly timed for UK manufacturers preparing for growth in capacity and capability. 

Registration is now open for the show, owned and organised by the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) and sponsored by Lloyds, which is the UK’s largest for inspiring, innovating and connecting the manufacturing community. It is due to take place across five halls of the NEC from 20 to 24 April 2026. All aspects of manufacturing technology will be on display.More information www.machexhibition.com

Enhancing production with a second MecWash

HellermannTyton is a global specialist in cable management solutions, supplying high-performance products to the aerospace, automotive and electrical sectors. At its Plymouth facility, the company manufactures heat-shrinkable tubing and related components. These products require precise cleaning processes to maintain their integrity, as excessive heat during cleaning could cause premature shrinkage and render the components unusable.

Maintaining strict quality standards while meeting rising production demand prompted HellermannTyton to seek increased cleaning system capacity. However, the cleaning challenge was tough. For a start, heat-shrinkable tubing must never exceed 38°C during cleaning and drying, while silicone residue, notoriously difficult to remove, requires consistent elimination to guarantee product performance and quality.

HellermannTyton had already invested in a MecWash Midi system, which had proven reliable over time. However, increasing production volumes required an additional system capable of meeting both the technical requirements of sensitive heat-shrinkable parts and the operational demand for 24/7 production.

After consulting with MecWash Systems, HellermannTyton installed a MecWash MWX400 precision aqueous parts-cleaning system specifically designed for complex cleaning applications and sensitive materials.

The introduction of the MWX400 delivered significant benefits to HellermannTyton’s operations. The system not only enables continuous, around-the-clock operation (24/7), scaling production without compromising quality, it also ensures complete removal of silicone residues while protecting delicate components.

Says Steve Walker, continuous improvement engineer at HellermannTyton: “The MWX400 allows us to clean and dry heat-shrinkable components at the precise temperature needed to maintain quality, while removing even the most stubborn silicone residues. It has increased our production capacity and runs reliably 24/7.”


By adopting the MecWash MWX400, HellermannTyton has strengthened its production capability, ensuring both quality and scalability in its cable management solutions.

More information www.mecwash.com