News Industry Comment Output prospects improve as order books firm


UK manufacturers’ expectations for output growth have improved, while firms’ order books showed signs of recovery , the CBI has said.


September will be a busy month at the NEC in Birmingham for anyone involved in manufacturing. The centre will welcome The Energy Event, The PPMA show, the RWM Exhibtion as well as Sensing Technology. The Energy Event (Sept 11-12) is the show to visit if you’re interested in optimising your energy use with 150 exhibitors including major energy suppliers, consultants and technology providers. It is co-located with the RWM exhibition, the European event for resource efficiency and waste management. At RWM you’ll have access to more than 650 exhibitors while more than 100 expert speakers will talk about the latest industry developments. The focus will be on packaging equipment at the PPMA show (Sept 25-27), an important process for many Factory Equipment readers, and you can find out more about the show in our preview on pages 15 and 16. The show is also co-located with Datateam’s own Sensing Technology, a must visit event for anyone interested in sensors and instrumentation. With so many events taking place in one venue, a visit to the NEC can only be worthwhile. It’s the perfect opportunity to meet speciliasts in a wide variety of fields.


Heather Ramsden - Editor Events


The Energy Event 11-12 September, NEC, Birmingham www.theenergyevent.com


RWM Exhibition 11-13 September, NEC, Birmingham www.rwmexhibition.com


Sensing Technology 25-26 September, NEC, Birmingham www.sensingtechnology.co.uk


PPMA 25-27 September, NEC, Birmingham www.ppmashow.co.uk


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Of the 459 manufacturers responding to the latest monthly Industrial Trends Survey, 27 per cent expect to increase their volume of output over the course of the next three months, while 19 per cent expect it to fall. The rounded balance of +7 per cent marks an improvement on the negative figure recorded in May, though still below those seen in the early months of the year. The flow of orders saw an improvement in June, with 17


per cent reporting that order books were above normal. With 28 per cent stating that order levels were below normal, the balance of -11 per cent represents an upturn from last month (-17 per cent) and is above the long- run average (-17 per cent). Likewise, export orders also strengthened with a balance of -4 per cent, well above the long- run average of -21 per cent. Expectations for output price inflation have weakened. A bal- ance of only +2 per cent of firms expect to increase output prices over the next quarter, the lowest balance since November 2011 (+2 per cent).


Tool manufacturer joins best in Britain


Yamazaki Mazak has been chosen as one of a select group of only 39 companies to represent British manufacturing at the forthcoming Make it in Great Britain exhibition which will run for the duration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.


Mazak, the only machine tool manufacturer to be represented, will be exhibiting a Quick TurnN lathe, which will demonstrate the role of the machine tool, the ‘Mother Machine’, in modern manufacturing and the breadth of machining applications that can be completed. The interactive exhibit will also include example products that have been manufac- tured using machine tools made at its European manufacturing plant in Worcester and will


Stock levels remain under con- trol, with a balance of +16 per cent saying stocks are at least adequate to meet demand, and in line with their long-run average (+14 per cent). Ian McCafferty, CBI chief eco- nomic adviser, said: “Despite facing continued instability within the Eurozone, UK manu- facturers have seen a modest re- bound in orders from both their domestic and export markets. As a result, firms are expecting output to pick up over the next quarter, although the pace of growth is still expected to be somewhat lower than earlier in the year.” www.cbi.org.uk


Machine safety firm rebrands


demonstrate the Mazak philoso- phy of ‘Done In One’ machining which enables UK manufacturers to become more efficient, produc- tive and competitive.


The Make it in Great Britain exhibition, at the Science Museum in London between 24th July and 9th September is organised by the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) to showcase the best of British manufacturing to the world during the Games. www.mazak.eu


School pupils see inside manufacturing


An engine components manufac- turer in South Wales has opened its doors to local secondary school pupils to give them a taste of what it is like to work in a high-volume, fast-paced automo- tive manufacturing environment. The open days took place over two days in June at the Schaeffler UK plant in Llanelli. A total of 53 14 to 16-year-olds) pupils from 10 local schools took part. The open days are part of the UK Government’s See Inside Manufacturing Initiative (SIM), a nationwide programme devel- oped in order to help improve the image of UK manufacturing to young people, with the objec- tive of attracting the brightest


Two years after its acquisition, Laidler Associates is to rebrand as TÜV SÜD Product Service. The UK’s machinery safety compli- ance organisation is now fully integrated into TÜV SÜD, offering machinery safety services via five UK locations and joining a net- work of 600 international sites. To mark the rebrand, the TÜV SÜD team will be taking the issue of machinery safety on the road in September. Paul Laidler, busi- ness director for Machinery Safety, said: “The machinery division will benefit from its international reach. Customers will have increased choice and the ability to reap the rewards of economies of scale for all their product safety needs.” www.tuvps.co.uk


Conference focus on sustainability


and best talent into a career in manufacturing and engineering. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) supports the initiative and a number of major UK-based automotive vehicle manufactur- ers are taking part in the open days, including Aston Martin, BMW, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, JCB, Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK and Vauxhall. www.schaeffler.co.uk


EMSc (UK), manufacturer of the Star range of energy saving solu- tions, will hold its Manufacturing Sustainability Conference at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham on 18th September. The free-to-attend conference, in partnership with Made in Sheffield, aims to provide a plat- form to promote innovative British manufacturing and to provide the manufacturing sector with com- prehensive information relating to sustainability issues and ways to improve energy efficiency. www.ems-uk.org


JULY/AUGUST 2012 Factory Equipment


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