Within an hour of putting its first post on social media, a start-up engineering business from North Yorkshire has been bombarded with orders from around the world – all thanks to help provided by the Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP). Topcliffe-based K2 Design & Fabrication Ltd, which makes specialist car parts, set up a Facebook page and secured 80 orders from as far afield as Australia and Singapore within 60 minutes of its initial post.
The company, founded by friends Duncan Oakes and Dominic King in January 2017, continues to be swamped with enquiries and is already taking £25,000 per month in orders after it received specialist advice from a marketing expert funded by MGP. K2 has now taken on an extra member of staff to cope with demand and is looking at employing another person because of its strong future order book.
For further information
www.manufacturingrowthprogramme.co.uk

The University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) has announced that it will run the Scottish Government’s new £8.9 Lightweight Manufacturing Centre. Developing new manufacturing processes for lightweight materials, such as titanium and carbon fibre, the facility will be the first step towards creating a National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland.
The centre will support highly skilled jobs and help place Scotland at the forefront of lightweight manufacturing. Making the announcement in front of over 130 aerospace industry representatives at a supply chain seminar held at the AFRC recently, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The Lightweight Manufacturing Centre will help Scottish businesses take advantage of the fact that sectors such as aerospace and automotive are making more and more use of lightweight materials.”
For further information www.strath.ac.uk

SSC Laser Cutting has shared its opinions on the ways that British manufacturing can compete on a worldwide stage in a whitepaper focused on propositions that industry can make in order to drive global exports. In today’s economy, where the value of the pound has fallen by almost 15% in the past year, UK metal manufacturers are finding that their products and services are now more competitive on an international level. The paper suggests that UK manufacturing is at a turning point, and states that smart decisions must now be made in order to remain competitive with the rest of the world and guarantee a stable future.
For further information www.ssclaser.co.uk

Work has completed on a £850,000 project to give the UK aerospace sector an advanced capability for high accuracy robotic machining. ‘The Flexible Robotic Machining in High Accuracy Applications’ project was launched by the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), with backing from the Aerospace Technology Initiative (ATI). AMRC is combining an existing robotic solution with expertise in CNC machine tool dynamics. “This will create the most accurate large volume machining robot in the world,” says Ben Morgan, who heads the AMRC’s Integrated Manufacturing Group.
For further information www.amrc.co.uk

Sigma Components has invested over $1 million across its manufacturing facilities in the UK and China to increase capacity and meet growing customer demand. The investment follows hot on the heels of the company’s spend of over $1m in a new manufacturing facility in Chengdu last year. This latest investment includes specialist equipment to boost Sigma’s fabrication and pipe manufacturing capabilities. It has also led to the creation of over 50 jobs in Nuneaton, Hinckley and Farnborough, including shop floor positions, engineers, HR and finance roles.
For further information www.sigmacomponents.com