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INDUSTRY NEWS
More than 62% of companies who took part in the ‘State of the Metals Industry’in the UK’s annual report called on the government to introduce a dedicated political power to represent their interests in Whitehall. Skills and labour shortages continue to
UK METALS SECTOR CALLS FOR MINISTER FOR MANUFACTURING AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY Rachel Eade
dominate the conversation, with 68% of metals companies feeling they are recruiting from a limited talent pool, while 58% of respondents admit to finding it difficult to attract new workers. “The message is clear from the companies we
represent... they want real political power in the corridors of Whitehall that understand our sector and will fight for it. This is stark message yet also a clear opportunity for Labour,” explained Rachel Eade MBE, chair of the UK Metals Council. “There have been some hints that things are changing in government, and they are
prepared to listen, with the prospect of an Industrial Strategy – something that pretty much everyone in manufacturing wants – closer than it has been for a while.” She added: “We want the launch of the report
GREEN STEEL ENCLOSURES: MADE FROM SCRAP METAL AND PRODUCED WITH WIND POWER ENERGY
Siemens Smart Infrastructure, through its German subsidiary Alpha Verteilertechnik, has launched the latest addition to its line of sustainable electrical products. The SIVACON 8MF1 industrial control cabinet series is made with 100% scrap metal sourced from reputable suppliers in Europe and manufactured using wind power. The production process for the new cabinets
slashes CO2 emissions by 70% when compared to conventional steel, typically produced in a blast furnace using iron ore and coal. This reduction
translates into savings of 308 kilograms of CO2 per enclosure unit. Currently, steel production is responsible for 8% of emissions globally.
This move supports Siemens’ sustainability goals in the areas of decarbonisation and resource efficiency, outlined within its DEGREE framework, with the company following a 1.5˚C science- based decarbonisation target.
www.siemens.com
to deliver six key asks to government, ranging from introducing a Minister of Manufacturing and providing support to smooth trading with our continental neighbours, to better engagement with industry to review the Apprenticeship Levy and eligibility of learning for funding. “These are all important messages that
need to be acted on and we will use the UK Metals Expo to start the lobbying, alongside hundreds of companies from our sector.” The UK Metals Council is made up of 13 trade
associations from across the full spectrum of the metals supply chain, from primary manufacturing to recycling. It represents the interests and views of over 11,500 companies, employing directly and indirectly one million people.
www.ukmetalscouncil.org
ELTA INVESTS IN NEW MACHINERY
Elta has invested in a new Trumpf TruPunch 1000 Punch Press at its Kingswinford, West Midlands headquarters, and a new 6kW Auto Loading Laser at its Fareham base. This investment allows the company to increase its manufacturing efficiency and capacity on its ventilation solutions at both sites. Damian Buxton, CEO at Elta UK, said: “We
have chosen to make these investments as we see the value and importance of being a UK manufacturer. They enhance our capabilities for the benefit of both our customers and employees, and ensure we keep moving forward to challenge the rest of the industry. Our new machines were both installed in what is our 50th year anniversary.”
EltaUK.com FESTO LAUNCHES SUITE OF AI-BASED SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS
Festo AX is a new suite of AI-based software solutions designed to enable customers to increase efficiency in their production processes. Festo AX makes digitalisation scalable and supports the advancement of Industry 4.0 in production. This means that manufacturing companies can benefit from innovative technologies, while OEMs can set up new business models immediately without the need for years of development work. “We are excited to offer our customers this
rapidly expanding range of solutions that make them more efficient and more productive,” commented Steve Sands of Festo. “By using AI-supported tools, our customers can increase their competitiveness and take their production to a new level. Our AX latest Motion Insight Apps offer exactly that: easy-to-install, scalable solutions that enable effective implementation of predictive maintenance.” The Festo AX suite currently comprises AX Industrial Intelligence, AX Solutions, AX Industrial Apps and AX Smartenance.
Festo AX Industrial Intelligence is a project based industrial software solution that uses artificial intelligence to turn plant data into actionable intelligence. It enables users to increase productivity, reduce energy costs, avoid quality losses and – in coordination with machine builders – establish new business models. With Festo AX Industrial Apps, the company is utilising its application knowledge to focus in on subsystems such as welding, glueing, riveting or packaging, creating scalable solutions that allow customers to install standardised AI applications themselves without needing any AI expertise. The latest release is the AX Motion Insights Pneumatic App. This uses machine learning AI to detect anomalies in the behaviour of pneumatic drives early and reliably, without the need for additional, complex, sensor technology. The AX Smartenance package is said to be the ideal companion to Industrial Apps or Motion Insight packages as it offers a solution for customers’ maintenance management to digitalise and simplify maintenance and servicing
6 DESIGN SOLUTIONS SEPTEMBER 2024
processes in a consistent and intuitive way. Festo is also part of the Siemens Industrial
Edge ecosystem. The Festo AX Data Insights App, available on the Siemens marketplace, feeds data from Festo components into Siemens Industrial Edge to supply analysis applications with data. Based on this data, customers can set up monitoring within the Siemens environment to improve maintenance processes, reduce their energy consumption and improve quality.
www.festo.co.uk
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