A research project driven by the NBT Group, Northumbria University and Senseye has been awarded over a quarter of a million pounds to evaluate new and emerging ‘smart’ technologies, helping to digitalise and transform manufacturing supply chains. This award is part of £18m of funding grants from the Digital Supply Chain competition, which forms part of UKRI’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) Made Smarter innovation challenge. The Digital Supply Chain competition supports the development of innovations designed to help supply chains become more productive and sustainable.

For further information
www.northumbria.ac.uk/business

Bowers Group is extending its sponsorship of the University of Wolverhampton Racing (UWR) team to include the team’s Morgan Plus Four cars into the 2022 season. Acting as Morgan’s factory works team, UWR has converted two Morgan Plus Four models from road cars into fully prepared racing vehicles. Having signed a new five-year partnership agreement with Morgan Motor Co in March, the University of Wolverhampton is now on track to offer a racing programme that will further improve the student experience.
As part of its extended sponsorship, Bowers Group will provide the University’s School of Engineering with a range of metrology tools and equipment to aid the students in their learning. The equipment not only provides the best footing for the team’s precision measurement needs, but enhances the learning of students by offering access to tools that will be at the heart of their future careers.

For further information
www.bowersgroup.co.uk

In a special ceremony at BAE Systems’ shipyard in Glasgow, His Royal Highness Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, set a plasma cutting machine to work on the first plate of steel for the third Type 26 frigate, HMS Belfast. The event marks an important step in the programme to deliver the UK’s latest anti-submarine warfare capability to the Royal Navy, with all three of the first batch of ‘City Class’ frigates now under construction. The UK-sourced steel plate will form part of a unit that will contain the machinery/equipment space for the frigate’s gearbox and stabilisers.

For further information
www.baesystems.com

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is acquiring Sheffield Forgemasters to support a substantial recapitalisation of the company’s defence-critical plant and equipment over the next 10 years. This investment will secure Sheffield Forgemasters’ role as a critical supplier to the next generation of UK defence programmes, while continuing its independent commercial activities, serving markets such as civil nuclear, oil and gas, power generation, renewables, and steel processing. The MoD has agreed to buy the company’s entire share capital at an offer price of 121 pence per share, equating to total consideration of £2.56m.

For further information
www.sheffieldforgemasters.com

WH-Lead, sole sales and service agent in the UK and Ireland for Taiwanese machine tool manufacturer Leadwell CNC Machines, has appointed Daren Waring as area sales manager for the West Midlands. Until recently Waring was active in a sales capacity within the production engineering community, having sold cutting tools and work-holding equipment for the last five years. The CNC machines he is now responsible for selling in the West Midlands include a growing range of turning machines (including VTLs), as well as three- to five-axis machining centres encompassing high-speed variants.

For further information www.wh-lead.co.uk