NEWS
COMMENT
Welcome to the Spring issue of UK Manufacturing. UK food manufacturing faces
a growing environmental dilemma. On the one hand, there is the issue of plastic packaging and the drive to reduce single-use plastics. On the other hand, there is the growing issue of food waste, with 2.5 billion tonnes of food wasted every year across the world. The difficult truth is that by seeking to reduce single use plastic packaging, food manufacturers risk triggering an increase in food waste and with it, an upward spiral of carbon emissions. The reason is that plastic packaging currently plays a critical role in keeping our food fresher for longer. On page 22 of this issue, Air Products’ Neil Hansford explores how manufacturers are responding to these environmental challenges.
Victoria White, Editor
NEW ADVENTURES AT VEGA UK
retired from VEGA after 24 years. For the last 11 years, he lead the UK subsidiary company with sustained growth in the level
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and pressure measurement business. Over that time he significantly grew the company share in the market place, steered the company through the COVID pandemic, as well as managing the land acquisition, design and construction of the new UK Headquarters building in East Sussex. He commented, “It’s time for me to step down and enjoy some leisure time, spending it with my family, playing more golf and catching up with friends, along with my hobby of restoring and riding motorbikes and we also have plenty of travel plans - it’s going to be an adventure!” Doug Anderson, formerly the UK marketing manager, has now taken over the managing director role, “It’s both a challenge and an honour for me, taking over from Ray, I have a class- act to follow.” He added, “My priority is to sustain the high levels of service, innovation and quality we are known for, develop our staff and skills, along with growth into both traditional and new market areas.” The VEGA family bid Ray Tregale a fond farewell from the ‘Home of Values’, along with their best wishes and good luck for his retirement!
www.vega.com/uk UKManufacturing Spring 2023
ormer managing director, Ray Tregale has now
PROSEAL MARKS 25-YEAR MILESTONE
Premiership title - and tray sealing specialist Proseal produced its very first machine. Since then, the company has grown to become a world leader in tray sealing technology and an expert in the design and installation of complete packing line solutions. Today Proseal has nearly 600 employees worldwide and alongside its near 250,000 sq ft manufacturing headquarters in Adlington, UK, has manufacturing facilities in the USA and Australia and a worldwide network of distributors. The company became part of the JBT Corporation in 2019. Founded by Steve Malone and Robbie
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Hargreaves in a small unit in Bollington, Proseal launched its first tray sealer, the PR30, now known as the GTR, in May 1998. This was the start of a series of ground- breaking tray sealing solutions from the company that revolutionised the top sealing of trays in a variety of sectors including ready meals, meat and poultry, petfood, plant-based protein and, most notably, soft fruit. Indeed, the company estimates that as much as 95 per cent of top-sealed trays in this sector in the UK are sealed on Proseal machines.
998: the Google search engine was launched, Cher’s Believe was the UK’s best-selling single, Arsenal won the
In the past 25 years, Proseal has
developed a comprehensive range of products to meet all types of customer and market requirements, diversified its offering into complementary equipment including conveyors and case packers, and introduced a variety of technical innovations, such as its unique E-sealing and Pro-Motion technologies, alongside a number of patented developments. To date, the company has manufactured 6,000 machines for nearly 3,000 customers worldwide. Staggeringly, if all the Proseal machines produced to date were placed on top of each other, they would stand at a vertical height of around 12,500 metres – nearly one and a half times the height of Mount Everest.
www.proseal.com
UK MANUFACTURING SECTOR PRODUCTION VOLUMES RETURNING TO PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS
lmost three quarters of engineers working in UK manufacturing report that business has returned or even exceeded pre-pandemic production volumes as the darkest days of COVID-19 appear to be fast disappearing into the rear-view mirror. Businesses in the aerospace, electronics and
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energy sectors all point to a substantial recovery with 72 per cent, 59 per cent and 71 per cent of respondents respectively flagging a return to pre- COVID-19 levels of production. But not every sector is in such rude health: 60 per cent of respondents in the automotive industry say output in their firms has been reduced, and access to skills, supply chain issues and the move to hybrid/remote working were all cited as particular challenges across all areas of manufacturing. The State of Manufacturing 2023 Report, conducted for Essentra Components by The Engineer Magazine, sought to uncover the biggest concerns facing engineers working in UK manufacturing. The report focuses on respondents’ attitudes to future talent, technology, sustainability, and a heavily impacted supply chain in a post-COVID world. Scott Fawcett, chief executive officer, Essentra, said the performance of the manufacturing sector is often seen by Government and the media as a barometer for the UK’s wider economic wellbeing: “With this report, we are
demonstrating our responsibility as a leader to dig beneath the surface and find out what is really going on behind the numbers, to help inform future decision making.” The issue of skills was a particular concern, with almost three quarters saying new recruits frequently lack the skills and qualifications needed to succeed in a modern manufacturing environment. Perhaps of greatest concern, however, is the supply chain: exactly half say supply chain pressures have had a significant impact on their business, and 62 per cent expect those issues to remain for anything up to five years. Some 15 per cent even believe they could go on indefinitely. To mitigate the effects of these challenges,
manufacturers are taking a variety of actions from sourcing new suppliers to increasing prices and exploring ways of reducing overheads. Around a quarter of respondents also report using supply chain forecasting models, and even reshoring aspects of production, to anticipate and address supply chain delays. On a more positive note, most say their
firms have an active technology investment plan and almost two out of three view the drive for increased sustainability as an opportunity, rather than a threat.
www.essentracomponents.com 5
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