Experts at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry have developed a demonstrator to show businesses how they can grow through the adoption of smart manufacturing technologies and processes.

Created by the MTC working alongside the University of Birmingham, Loughborough University and a team of industry partners, the ‘Factory in a Box’ is an industrial scale demonstrator. A formal launch is planned by the MTC on 13 March. Manufacturers are invited
to attend the free event and learn how their businesses can benefit from the adoption of a smarter, more digital approach.
For further information https://is.gd/owihuq

Westermans International is enhancing its services to customers in both the home and international markets with a sole UK and Ireland distributorship agreement for the ProArc range of welding, cutting and drilling systems.

Although a supplier of ProArc equipment into worldwide markets for some 25 years, this latest move is set to strengthen product availability and choice in the UK and Ireland, while also providing support where needed for the company’s European sales activity.
Key markets where the development will be of particular note include automotive exhaust, vacuum component and cryogenic vessel manufacturing, as well as water tank, aircraft component, flexible metal hose and sheet metal fabrication. Westermans will be stocking a broad range of ProArc products. Also, a number of units will be set-up for viewing and demonstration at the company’s Leicester premises.
For further information www.westermans.com

Alloy Wire International (AWI), which supplies more than 60 different nickel alloys, secured over £1.2m of sales in January.

In total, the company shipped 339 individual orders to customers in 27 different countries. This performance equated to AWI’s best ever month in 73 years of trading. Boosted by a new quoting system, the company has seen demand for its wire emanate from clients in the automotive, aerospace, oil and gas, and nuclear sectors, with many citing AWI’s three-week lead times as being crucial to their manufacturing operations. A significant proportion of new work has come from the EU.
For further information www.alloywire.com

A Shropshire company is embarking on ambitious growth plans to boost its £11.4m annual sales by 15%, with the potential of creating 30 new jobs in 2019.

Corbetts the galvanizers, one of the UK’s longest established hot-dip galvanizers, is looking to build on significant investment in new equipment and a number of senior appointments to target opportunities in the agricultural, transport infrastructure, street furniture and utilities markets. Despite a challenging year due to rising zinc costs, the Halesfield-based firm has managed to secure a number of new contracts that are making the most of the larger galvanizing kettle it installed in late 2017.
For further information www.wcorbett.co.uk

A UK manufacturer of electro-mechanical motion control systems, LG Motion, has updated its in-house machining capability with the arrival of three machines from XYZ Machine Tools.

The investment includes two SMX 3500 ProtoTrak bed mills, which have been brought in to replace two older machines. The nature of the work is generally small batches and bespoke systems, so quick changeover is very important. Moreover, with their increased spindle-speed capability and ISO 40 taper connection, the bed mills are improving cycle times and component quality. A third machine, a ProTurn SLX 425 lathe will also target productivity improvements.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com