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30 Dec 2016

UK Manufacturing and the Brexit impact

We’re just getting to the end of the year and on the face of it UK manufacturing seems to have weathered the initial Brexit storm. There will undoubtedly be ups and downs over the next couple of years as well as uncertainty whilst the exit terms are negotiated.

Can you foresee what’s going to happen and be ready for every eventuality? Of course not! All you can do is make sure that you keep an eye on what’s going on and keep up with how the latest developments could have an impact on your business. There is little point in panicking and making huge changes until the unknown becomes known. By all means review things to see where you might need to change policies and processes if certain scenarios come into play. You may even go so far as to get some documents drafted and approved for use so that they can be brought into play immediately should your anticipated change become a reality. And for some of the big manufacturers who have many European offices and employees from other European countries in place, that is, in all likelihood happening right now.

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23 Dec 2016

Engineering highlights of 2016

As we approach the year end we thought we’d take a look back at some of the new and innovative engineering stories and reports that came out this year.

There were some astounding breakthroughs in the medical and healthcare sectors as well as enhancements in the more run of the mill procedures.

Osseo integration (the practice of using pins to implant directly into the bone) has been in the news throughout the year. Despite many successful surgeries overseas, growth in the use of the procedure has been relatively slow. A UK pilot of the procedure for military personnel who have lost limbs launched in September this year. If successful it is hoped the use of the procedure can be adopted more widely.

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16 Dec 2016

Building of the new Aston Martin facility begins

Earlier this year we reported on the great news that Aston Martin had decided that St Athan in Glamorgan was to be the site for their new facility in South Wales. There were more than 20 sites worldwide under consideration but a host of positive factors meant that St Athan was the ideal choice. This week the sale of the land was finalised and the official green light on the development given.

Work has already begun on the first phase of the development which includes building reception areas, offices and a staff restaurant. Phase 2 which includes access to the super hangars that will house the manufacturing arm of the site is planned for April 2017. Local welsh firm TRJ Contracting has been awarded the contract for the works.

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3 Dec 2016

Metal Additive Manufacturing

When you think of additive manufacturing, or 3D printing as it’s more commonly known, there is a tendency to immediately think of plastic products. However, increasingly metals are being used in additive manufacturing processes and in the last few years metal 3D printing has gone from strength to strength.

In powder form, a variety of metals can be used in 3D printing processes enabling a whole host of components to be made more easily. Consumer products, aerospace components and medical aids are now being routinely produced using metal additive manufacturing processes.

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26 Nov 2016

Innovations in the Defence Sector

Innovative engineering developments make for good news and when those developments include medical improvements it makes for even happier headlines. In the defence sector, however, the headlines are sometimes more muted, yet there are massive innovations and developments taking place.

Whatever your personal opinion about budgets and spending in the defence sector, the simple fact is that we need military vehicles and equipment on land, in the sea and in the air and they need to be equipped with up to date, modern technology and materials if they are to do their job. And it’s not just vehicles and equipment that matter. Developments in fabrics and communication methods also help personnel to do their jobs as safely as possible. Some of those innovations, while being piloted for military use, may also have huge benefits in other sectors.

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18 Nov 2016

Boom Supersonic Passenger Aircraft Unveiled

Since the withdrawal of Concorde, there has been little news of any supersonic flight service to replace it. In fact development in supersonic passenger aircraft appeared to have stalled with cost and economic viability seeming to be one of the reasons. Concorde, despite being a beautiful aircraft was, after all, a flight service used only by the wealthier in society. But that could be set to change with the unveiling of the Boom supersonic passenger aircraft.

The Boom supersonic passenger aircraft is promising flights from London to New York in 3.5 hours with a return ticket price of $5000 – a similar price to the cost of a current business class flight. Whilst for many of us, this may still be unaffordable, when the flight time is more than halved, it’s a cost many businesses will be more than happy to pay.

The aircraft will have just 40 – 50 seats and the technological and material advancements since Concorde, mean that aircraft can be produced and maintained more cost effectively and those savings can be passed on through the lower ticket price.

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4 Nov 2016

The next generation of UK engineers

Today Sir James Dyson announced that he is to open his own institute to train engineers stating that the UK needs another million engineers in software, hardware and electronics by 2020 if UK companies are to remain competitive.

The institute, based in Malmesbury, Wiltshire will open in the Autumn of 2017 with an initial intake of 25 students and will offer a four year engineering degree in partnership with the University of Warwick. Students will be paid a salary while studying and will not pay tuition fees, but most importantly in the world of engineering, students will work on live projects alongside mentors and research staff allowing them to get hands on, real life experience.

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14 Oct 2016

Why leaves cause delays on the rail network

The weather has turned positively autumnal with a drop in temperature and leaves starting to drop from the trees. At this time of year commuters across the country groan and begin to think about how often the weather is likely to disrupt their daily journey to work. Leaves on the track is frequently put forward as the major reason for causing seasonal disruption to services on our rail network, and whilst at face value the reason sounds a little far-fetched, leaves on the track are in fact, a real safety hazard.

So why do leaves on the rail network cause so many problems? There are 2 key areas where leaves cause problems:

  1. Trains lose their adhesion as the rails become more slippy
  2. Leaves act as an insulator and can disrupt electrical signals on the track.
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7 Oct 2016

Supply chain opportunities come with the approval of Hinckley C

The recent approval for the new nuclear plant at Hinckley Point had businesses across the region breathing a sigh of relief. Hundreds of companies locally and further afield pre-registered to become part of the supply chain solution for EDF Energy and its contractors with the aim of securing long term work in the region. With 90 major tier 1 contractors requiring further supply chain contracts of their own, the opportunities for businesses in and around the region are huge.

Many smaller local businesses took the step to improve their own staff development and training and internal processes with the aim of being ready and able to meet the demands of the project. The project which will take approximately 10 years to complete will provide more than 25000 jobs and have more than 5000 people working on site at any time. It is anticipated that it will provide 900 permanent jobs on completion.

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23 Sep 2016

Hummingbird – the world’s lightest folding bike is ready for testing

British motorsport company Prodrive announced this week that testing of the Hummingbird folding lightweight bike would begin in October, with anticipated production and sales starting early in 2017.

The Hummingbird is the concept of London based designer Petre Cracuin. Petre along with co-founder Ligia Stan has a passion for bikes and the project was born out of their desire to have a lightweight folding bike that was not only a pleasure to ride but was also easy to carry around and looked good. Despite having multiple bikes themselves, they realised there was nothing out there that fitted the bill so Petre set to work to solve the problem and the Hummingbird was born. A folding bike that is comfortable to ride, looks good, is easy to fold and carry and weighs in at an astounding 6.7kg. To put that in perspective, that’s the same as two normal weight domestic cats!

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