NEWS


COMMENT


Welcome to the Winter issue of UK Manufacturing. How can you save on


energy, make sustainable progress, and look at fresh opportunities for growth with a royal seal of approval? In this issue, in an exclusive from the experts at Powerstar, we find out how the latest power resilience technologies can help companies negotiate the energy crisis while looking to longer-term potential for better brand recognition, greater investment and export opportunities by harnessing the potential of a Royal Warrant. Find out more on page 14. Also in this issue, we consider the top


challenges facing the food and drink sector and how to ensure your bearings meet these challenges. Find out more on page 20.


Victoria White, Editor


rEnishAw brings ThE PowEr oF AM To rAF wiTTEring


Cambridgeshire, supplying a RenAM 500Q Flex metal additive manufacturing (AM) machine to help improve its component manufacturing capabilities. The Squadron will use the new system, along with other 3D printing and scanning equipment, at its new Hilda B Hewlett Centre for Innovation. The system will enable the RAF to produce custom-built structural aircraft components for rapid repairs and its arrival marks the Force’s first steps into advanced component manufacturing. The Hilda B Hewlett Centre for


R


Innovation is part of the No 71 Inspection and Repair Squadron, which is based at RAF Wittering. Its main role is to repair damaged structures on UK fixed-wing military aircraft and provide specialist inspection capabilities. The


enishaw recently became a delivery partner to Royal Air Force (RAF) Wittering Squadron,


Squadron has its own designers that provide specialist repairs, and the RenAM 500Q Flex will enable it to reproduce aircraft components with microscopic precision for defence applications that require the highest accuracy. Following the opening of the new facility,


Renishaw supplied the RenAM 500Q Flex, which produces high-quality parts with added flexibility when changing powder. It features four lasers that address the entire powder bed, as well as automated powder recycling capabilities and a compact footprint. These capabilities enable engineers at the facility to create the highly accurate components required in this industry, while delivering significant savings for metal component volume production. The Squadron’s engineers will use it alongside several new systems, including a Nikon HTX 540 CT scanner and other AM systems.


www.renishaw.com


DATA TEch ADoPTion Driving sME MAnuFAcTuring growTh AMbiTions AMETEK FinE TubEs


digital transformation and growth ambitions, new analysis from Made Smarter reveals. More than half (159) of the 275 technology


S


projects supported by Made Smarter’s North West adoption programme focussed on digital technologies which connect disparate systems and unify data residing in different sources. As a result of integrating systems and


consolidating data sources, business leaders have achieved real-time visualisation of their processes, been able to spot trends in production and labour, correct maintenance and quality issues, and minimise safety, business risk and operational downtime throughout their production. One in five are adopting robotics and process


control automation, while seven per cent are investing in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), using sensors to collect critical production data to gain valuable insights about the efficiency of operations. Others are adopting additive manufacturing to reduce waste and fast track prototyping, while some are using immersive technologies to add value to their services. Meanwhile, early adopters who have already


captured data are now focussed on analytics and artificial intelligence to get more insight and value from their manufacturing operations. Alain Dilworth, programme manager for


the Made Smarter’s North West adoption programme, said: “Data and analytics are central to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, so it is encouraging that so many of this region’s makers are embracing the opportunities that these tools offer.


UKManufacturing Winter 2022 “Capturing the data from across their


processes and bringing it all together in one place is a vital first step for many manufacturers looking to solve problems and recognise opportunities. It also becomes a platform for the next step. One which some are already taking is to analyse the data using artificial intelligence then to keep investing and harnessing the future!” An example of a business reaping the benefits


includes Nutree Life, a Burscough-based manufacturer of vegan and free-from protein bars,. The company integrated its systems, end-to- end from warehouse to despatch, enabling real-time visibility of its processes and the ability to respond to and improve its performance. As a result, the business has quadrupled its turnover and doubled its workforce.


www.madesmarter.uk


ME manufacturers in the North West are using data and system integration technology as the driving force behind their


A


cElEbrATEs 60 yEArs in PlyMouTh


METEK Fine Tubes is marking 60 years since moving to purpose-built premises in Plymouth, Devon, in


1962. The business was originally founded in Surbiton in Surrey in 1943. Fine Tubes has enjoyed many successes and


achievements since its founding, with many of them originating from its 51,000 square foot Plymouth facility. As well as a large number of business milestones, Fine Tubes employees have raised an impressive £17,000 for local charities over the past four years. Fine Tubes has been involved in many


prestigious projects including supplying high pressure titanium tubing for the hydraulic systems of the Eurofighter, Airbus A380, and Airbus A350; developing 130 kilometers of cooling tubes for the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in 2008; and, more recently, specialist titanium tubing for the Chemical Propulsion System of the Solar Orbiter project. Dave Cawse, operations director at Fine


Tubes, commented: “Fine Tubes has been operating successfully for almost 80 years and much of our success is attributed to the dedicated, loyal, and talented teams we have working at our production base in Plymouth. We are proud to have been manufacturing in Britain’s beautiful ocean city for 60 years and will be celebrating our diamond anniversary over the course of the year.”


www.finetubes.co.uk 5


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