Robotics, sustainability and productivity will all be highlighted in Future Lab at UKCW Birmingham this October - a showcase of technology, disruptors and change-makers who are at the leading edge of innovation in the industry.

The British Compressed Air Society (BCAS) has appointed Cliff Warne as Executive Director.

NovNat Tech, a  new company based in the Unit 9 incubator at the Birmingham Research Park, has announced it has secured funding from Innovate UK to develop a novel technology that can generate water out of air.

Smart Machines & Factories’ and Talking Industry’s Aaron Blutstein talks to John Kraus, Chief Executive for Engineers Without Borders UK, to find out a bit more about the origins, philosophy and the role the organisation is playing to help reimagine engineering practice so that engineers can respond effectively to the complexity and uncertainty of pressing global challenges such as climate change

Ingram Micro Logistics has upgraded the materials handling systems at its Daventry warehouse facility with the introduction of electric-powered articulated Flexi StorMAX two-deep pallet picking and put-away technology from Narrow Aisle.

Mitsubishi Electric has released a 24VDC digital input plug-in module for its FR-E800 range of variable speed drives (VSDs). PWE takes a closer look.

At a time when national electrical grids are under extreme pressure, unexpected outages can prove to be a considerable challenge. When a power plant in Germany experienced the sudden failure of a boiler feed pump, output dropped by more than 40%, which affected both the local grid and company profits. Needing to resolve this situation urgently, Sulzer was called in to repair the asset and investigate to secure the reliability of the power station. PWE reports.

Special Report – Talking Industry Live Review

Although there’s no doubt that inflationary pressures and supply chain delays continue to cause concern to manufacturers, what isn’t perhaps so widely appreciated is that last year was also reported to be the hottest year on record by the Met Office. Without being alarmist, that is another serious issue that we cannot ignore. Rising temperatures are a global trend and they will have a major impact on your electrical equipment. Christian Westwood, Rittal UK’s Service Manager, explains further.

As leading forklift manufacturer Combilift continues to celebrate its 25 years in business, it has launched a new model truck at the recent Ligna show - the new Combi-CB70E. PWE takes a closer look at the new model.

Today manufacturing companies are facing more challenges than ever before, from rising energy prices to parts supply issues and more recently an increasing skills shortage. The figures are telling and are indicative of conditions across the globe. PWE reports

Phil Heine is celebrating T-Cards Direct’s 60th Anniversary. Developed by his father, the company has played an important role in the engineering sector throughout this period and PWE caught up with Phil to learn a bit more about the concept and history of the company.

Sustainability doesn’t have to come at a cost, in fact many companies are finding that their initiatives are saving them money. Turck Banner has identified three broad areas where they can assist companies in saving costs as well as becoming more sustainable. Production efficiency, energy management and supply chain management.

The Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (S.I. 2000 No 128) (PSSR) relate to pressure systems for use at work and the risk to health and safety. Vanda Jones, Executive Director at the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS) outlines the responsibilities as an owner or operator

Clive Jones, Managing Director of thermal fluid specialist Global Heat Transfer, explains how proactive thermal fluid management is the key to safe and efficient operations.

Donal Bourke, Director of Sales at PEMAC discusses the common trends emerging in maintenance management across industries and the pivotal role of Computerised Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) in the era of Maintenance 4.0.

Hart Industrial Doors has completed a contract to supply and install a Speedor Storm at the new Kidderminster facility for TVH UK, global parts and accessories suppliers.

Manufacturing & Engineering Week 2023, produced in association with The Manufacturer, has become the biggest industrial sector event in the UK in just its second year, according to statistics released by event organisers The Nineteen Group. Over the course of the live shows on the 7th and 8th June, 10,355 manufacturers, designers, engineers and maintenance professionals attended the event at the NEC which had 342 exhibitors.

Serving as a reminder that air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths every year in the UK, Clean Air Day 2023 will take place on Thursday 15th June.

Held at ExCeL London in May, GEO Business showcased cutting-edge technologies, ground-breaking innovations, and an insightful education programme. With over 3950 total attendees, the packed-out event served as a platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and exploration of emerging trends.

Following 2022’s record-breaking heat and forecasts of similar temperatures this summer, an industry expert is calling for proactive contingency planning to protect cold chains and avoid short-term supply shortfalls.

Aston University has announced it is to receive £1.8 million to transform the West Midlands into a powerhouse of low-carbon product development and commercialisation.

Birmingham-based photochemical etching company Precision Micro has announced a series of environmental improvements, highlighted in the release of its first Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Impact report.

The BCMPA – the Association for Contract Manufacturing, Packing, Fulfilment & Logistics has announced that Emma Verkaik will become its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), following the retirement of Rodney Steel on 1st June.

The continued contraction of the UK manufacturing sector further underlines the importance of digital inspection and condition monitoring technology to avoid unplanned maintenance costs in Q3 2023 and beyond, says Alfa Laval’s new Service Operations Manager.

Fluke Reliability, will be discussing a new vision for the future of maintenance on Stand A42 at Maintec 2023, part of Manufacturing & Engineering Week.

Pressure to meet environmentally friendly practices is at an all-time high. Especially now that we are seeing a dramatic increase in global temperatures and natural disasters. The United Nations have set out a Net-Zero target and with manufacturing companies accounting for 16% of the carbon emissions for the UK alone, there is a demand for sustainable operations. Prasanna Kulkarni, Product Architect and Libby Taylor, Research Editor of Comparesoft, explain why manufacturers leverage IIoT and asset management to drive sustainability.

Opportunities for businesses in Cumbria to diversify into the space industry are being brought to the region in June. iSH, the Industrial Solutions Hub, is hosting Space Week across West Cumbria from June 26-30.

Three manufacturers have scooped awards for eco innovations developed as part of a groundbreaking R&D programme.

By Matt Hale, International Sales & Marketing Director, HRS Heat Exchangers

Donaldson, a leading manufacturer of filtration solutions, has announced it will be exhibiting its venting and industrial air expertise at The Battery Show Europe in Stuttgart, Germany, between May 23rd – May 25th, 2023.

Permits are a crucial part of maintenance work. They ensure that the work carries out safely and that everyone involved understands the risks and responsibilities. There are multiple ways you can handle permits. Is digitalisation the answer to it?

As part of its campaign to inspire the next generation of robotics engineers, automation expert FANUC UK has announced it will showcase a suite of education-themed initiatives at Automation UK in Coventry in June

Following climate change-related water shortages across the European continent causing governments to take action, a process industry expert is highlighting the knock-on effect to manufacturers reliant on waterways for cooling processes.

Radwell International has announced it has launched a new UK field buying division headed by Andrew Duke and Daniel Jones.

The skills shortages in engineering has been well documented. Led by the Institution of Engineering & Technology, a national campaign is now underway to try once again to address the shortfall of new entrants and embed engineering into the curriculum.

The week beginning 5th June 2023 is Manufacturing & Engineering Week (www.mandeweek.co.uk) with the centrepiece exhibitions Design & Engineering Expo, Smart Factory Expo, Maintec and the Drives & Controls zone taking place at Birmingham’s NEC on 7th and 8th June.

Turck Banner spoke to PWE about four different applications in the production efficiency category; increasing yields in meat processing, increasing efficiency in assembly stations, Edge Guiding to reduce waste and picking solutions to eliminate errors and returns.

As well as dealing with increasing scrutiny regarding their impact on the environment, the nature of the Oil & Gas sector means that employee welfare is something that must be at the forefront of an organisations’ thoughts. Experts at FPE Seals have dived deep into the numerous ways employee welfare can be managed.

Schaeffler has launched a ‘Grease App’, which it says offers a solution for complex rolling bearing lubrication questions. PWE reports

PWE looks at how an online monitoring solution using ultrasonic sensors was able to detect an issue on a critical bearing before it turned into a big problem.

PWE Spoke to Jörgen Friesendahl, Global Offer Manager for data driven machining at Sandvik Coromant, who offers advice to the metal cutting industry on implementing smart factory solutions — both to reduce carbon and increase profits.

ICS Cool Energy’s Cold Store containers have allowed a leading international brewery to keep its reactor vessels in reliable temperature-controlled environment and maintain consistency of the fermentation process. PWE reports.

Anyone with responsibility for warehouse equipment must consider the question of if the equipment is faulty, do you repair or replace? Rite-Hite’s Thorsten Mauritz explains further.

Maintec returns on 7th and 8th of June 2023 at Birmingham’s NEC as part of Nineteen Group’s Manufacturing & Engineering Week (M&E Week) www.mandeweek.co.uk . PWE reports

Chris Johnson, managing director of ceramic bearings specialist SMB Bearings, explains the specifications, capabilities and differences of full ceramic and hybrid bearings.

Petrochemical processes have traditionally been heated with fossil fuels, but pressure is building to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions and advance long-term decarbonisation goals. Fossil fuel heated processes leave big shoes to fill when it comes to thermal processes, so electric process heaters often raise two big questions: how big can an electric heater be? And what is required to maintain proper control of large electric heaters? Dennis Long, Chief System Designer at industrial electric equipment manufacturer Watlow, explains further

Digitalisation and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) represents the next level of industrial automation. Consultant editor at DFA and chair Andy Pye summarises some of the discussions from the recent Talking Industry episode

The British Compressed Air Society (BCAS) has launched a new compressed air installation best practice guide (BPG 101). As one of the only truly impartial guides in the UK, the guide covers ‘installation’ in terms of the collection of equipment and processes within the compressed air system. PWE reports.

Donal Bourke, Sales Director, PEMAC explains how CMMS software can support preventive maintenance strategies within manufacturing organisations.