Manufacturing News – Early April 2021

The UK market for subcontract manufacturing continued its recovery from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic with a 25% increase on the previous quarter. The latest Contract Manufacturing Index (CMI) stood at 84 for the first quarter of 2021 (Q1) compared to 67 for the final three months of last year. The quarter started well, with January and February far better than any month in the previous quarter, but fell back in March. The baseline for the index is 100, which represents the ... Read more

Aerospace News – Early April 2021

Airbus has picked up the pace for aircraft deliveries in March. The European aircraft manufacturer delivered a total of 72 aircraft to a range of airlines from Aer Lingus to Wizz Air UK. Most airlines only took one plane this month, with only nine customers taking three or more aircraft. Both of the world’s major aircraft manufacturers saw a decrease in demand for new aircraft deliveries in 2020. This was due to many airlines having to ground most of their fleets. After ... Read more

Automotive News – Early April 2021

Jaguar Land Rover sold 123,483 vehicles in its fourth quarter, 12.4% more than the same time last year, although total sales for the year were 13.6% lower. The luxury car maker, which has manufacturing sites in Halewood, Merseyside, and Castle Bromwich and Solihull in the West Midlands, revealed its China sales were up 127% compared with a year ago when that market was heavily impacted by COVID-19. Sales in North America were also up year-on-year by 10.4%, while other regions remain lower than ... Read more

Steel News – Late March 2021

British Steel investing £100m this year to improve manufacturing and environmental performance British Steel has announced it is investing £100m this year to support the next stage of its transformation. The company, which has returned to profit after being brought out of liquidation by Jingye Group 12 months ago, will focus the investment on improving its manufacturing operations and supporting clean growth. Projects the money will help finance include a new billet caster, a scrap pre-heating facility, cranes and a new environmental emission control ... Read more

Robotics & Automation News – Late March 2021

FAUNC has launched its new digital service FAR (FANUC Assisted Reality) in the UK, which provides quicker response times for maintenance issues on FANUC products. FAR is an app that uses augmented reality to facilitate remote support for FANUC customers. It allows service engineers to identify problems via real-time video and overlaid digital content, which ensures the correct spare parts and tools can be determined during the initial call. It also helps to improve the planning of service visits, owing to optimised ... Read more

Oil & Gas News – Late March 2021

More oil and gas wells are to be drilled in the North Sea, the UK government has announced. The decision has angered environmental campaigners, who say the government should refuse new licences. Ministers say permission to drill will be granted as part of a careful transition away from fossil fuels, safeguarding jobs and the economy. But the environmentalists say that enough fossil fuels to ruin the climate have already been found.  In light of this, they say, the government should have refused the new ... Read more

Marine News – Late March 2021

Speaking at the Society of Maritime Industries Annual Conference, the Defence Secretary announced a refresh of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. At the turn of the century, the UK built an astonishing 60 per cent of the world’s ships, your industry remains global leaders in Design and Innovation. You still bring in billions to our economy and spread wealth right across the country. And you still directly provide for the livelihoods of some 44,000 people from Appledore to the Clyde and many more ... Read more

Power Generation News – Late March 2021

The world's first full-scale floating wind farm off Peterhead has been recorded as having the UK's best results for capturing potential output offshore for the third year. Five giant wind turbines make up the Hywind Scotland development, about 15 miles (25km) off Aberdeenshire. It reached an average of 57.1% of its potential output over the past year. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-56496355 A blueprint to cut industrial carbon emissions by two-thirds within 15 years has been announced by the government. It wants firms to waste less energy, develop low-carbon technologies ... Read more

Manufacturing News – Late March 2021

Manufacturing output volumes in the three months to March improved to broadly flat, which marked their highest balance since May 2019. That’s according to the CBI’s latest monthly Industrial Trends Survey. The survey of 321 manufacturers found that output increased in eight out of 17 sub-sectors. Growth in the electronic engineering and plastic products sub-sectors was largely offset by declines in paper, printing & media and aerospace in the headline balance. Looking ahead, manufacturers expect output to pick up rapidly over the next ... Read more

Aerospace News – Late March 2021

Work on the first UltraFan module is underway at the firm’s DemoWorks facility in Derby. The demonstrator engine, which has a fan diameter of 3.56m, will be completed by the end of the year. The engine could be the basis for a new family of engines able to power both narrow body and wide body aircraft. Rolls-Royce said it will deliver a 25% fuel efficiency improvement compared with the first generation of Trent engine, which first ran 31 years ago. That efficiency boost ... Read more
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