UK NEWS

Fabricator invited to Parliament

Bolton-based Hopefield Fab Ltd has been invited to be a representative of the manufacturing and services sector for the 2018/19 Parliamentary Review.

The Parliamentary Review is a series of documents introduced by the Prime Minister containing articles from a range of large organisations, SMEs and small, niche businesses. The aim of the documents is for knowledge and best practice to be shared in an attempt to raise standards. Hopefield Fab has been invited by the Rt Hon Sir Eric Pickles, chairman of the Parliamentary Review, to offer its knowledge and insight. As a result, the company has also been asked to attend Parliament in March 2019 for an evening of celebration.
For further information www.hopefieldfab.co.uk

Drill specialist invests in CNC lathe

Chester Machine Tools, the exclusive UK supplier of Style machines (made in Holland), says it has supplied a Style 510 CNC lathe to Sheffield-based Armeg Ltd, a manufacturer of drills and power tools.

The lathe was selected for its intuitive, simple operation, which will boost prototype machining at Armeg. Style 510 lathes feature functions that are said to be suitable for R&D departments, including easy, smart and simple programming, and extensive CNC capability.
“This is the second Style machine to be placed in a highly competitive UK industrial market,” states Anthony Edwards, UK sales director at Chester Machine Tools. “Chester are experiencing increasing sales of its own range of CNC and conventional machine tools, as well as Style CNC lathes in the UK. We continue to forge ahead with supporting and supplying our brands and machines to British manufacturing, while responding to the continuing technological demands and expectations of our customers for innovative and highly productive machine tools. The team at Chester feels extremely proud to have won the tender for such a prestigious company as Armeg.”
For further information www.chestermachinetools.com

Subcontracting holds steady

The UK market for contract manufacturing remains healthy and stable according to the latest Contract Manufacturing Index (CMI).

The index reveals that the market is still 30% up on a year ago, and although there has been a slight dip from the previous quarter of 5%, the overall market looks to be holding steady. The index stood at 226 compared to 238 in the first quarter of this year, and 174 in the second quarter of 2017.
Within the headline figure there has been a shift in the make-up of the market, with fabrication now standing at 56% of the total and machining on 35%. Just three months ago, machining represented 38% and fabrication 51%, and whereas fabrication rose consistently through the quarter, machining rose from April to May but then levelled off in June.
Compared with the equivalent quarter in 2017, fabrication is up 69%, machining down 4%.
For further information www.qimtek.co.uk

Half-year results show demand

Mills CNC’s half-year results show no let-up in demand for Doosan machine tools among UK and Irish component manufacturers.

The headline news is that for the period January to 18 June, orders for 240 new Doosan machines were taken by Mills. This strong showing comes off the back of a successful MACH 2018, where Mills sold 20 machines during the week-long event. Over 3000 people visited Mills’ stand at the show.
Over the past 18 months there has also been a noticeable upturn in demand for Mills’ turnkey and process improvement solutions. Says managing director Kevin Gilbert: “Delivering often complex, right-first-time turnkey solutions is a hallmark of Mills. More and more customers operating in the aerospace, defence and energy sectors, for example, are approaching us to help design and implement solutions that will help improve their productivity, operational efficiency and machining performance.”
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

Nikken and Boeing in technical partnership

At its innovation Centre on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Sheffield, Nikken Kosakusho Europe recently hosted a visit from Boeing senior executives and engineers to sign a long-term technical partnership between the two companies.

Boeing senior executives Dave Hyem, Don Hendrickson and James Needham are pictured with Nikken Kosakusho Europe director Gary Williamson and European CEO Tony Bowkett, following the signing of an integrator agreement to provide precision tool holders, cutting tools and tool pre-setting solutions to the aerospace giant’s new Sheffield manufacturing facility, the first in Europe, based within the High-Value Manufacturing (HVM) cluster in Sheffield.
As Integrator and technical partner, Nikken will work closely with Boeing’s engineering team to help optimise manufacturing processes and achieve production goals and Industry 4.0 ambitions.
Boeing Sheffield will employ approximately 30 people, including 18 apprentices, when it opens later this year as part of Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ (BCA) fabrication operations, and will work closely with Boeing Portland, a company Centre of Excellence for complex machining, gear systems and flight controls. The manufacture of high-tech components for Boeing’s Next-Generation 737, 737 MAX and 777 aircraft is due to commence at the new facility in September 2018.
“This is a very proud moment for the Nikken European team, resident here on the AMRC park,” says Bowkett. “We have worked tirelessly to put together a total support solution that will allow the Boeing engineers to produce upwards of 10,000 parts per month, supporting its Portland facility in the USA. It’s a great opportunity for our engineering and logistics teams to integrate world-class machine tools and equipment, and to use their knowledge and experience to optimise their performance, resulting in productivity and efficiency gains.”
For further information www.nikken-world.com