Category: Features & Interviews

~ How a novel buy-back model could transform the steel circular economy ~ Although the industry calls it scrap, steel is a valuable resource as a secondary raw material. Whether it’s the steel contained in products at the end of their useful life, or the material left over from the manufacturing process, there’s more industry […]

The coronavirus crisis has exposed critical weaknesses in UK and global supply chains, and not just when it comes to ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE). According to a survey of around 600 small and medium-sized manufacturers in England, a huge 82% say they’re experiencing disruption to their supply chains. According to the Manufacturing Growth […]

Addressing the manufacturing skills gap – does the industry need an image overhaul? In January 2019, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) revealed that the manufacturing industry was facing the biggest skills shortage in 30 years. Alarmingly, a huge 81% of UK manufacturers admitted that in late 2018, they struggled to find people with the […]

Covid-19 will accelerate the business world’s move to Augmented Reality (AR) and other IoT solutions, as companies across the UK look to adapt to a ‘new working normal’. Jim Heppelmann, CEO of industrial innovation technology specialist PTC, believes the way frontline workers have seamlessly adapted to the benefits of AR to continue to perform their […]

In 1969, Victor Scheinman invented the Stanford arm, the first all-electric, six-axis articulated robot — the predecessor of the robot arms that we use today. Here Jonathan Wilkins, director at automation equipment supplierEU Automation, discusses how robots have diversified in weird and wonderful ways since 1969. With over 384,000 industrial robots installed globally in 2018, […]

zenon software supports urgent need for remote manufacturing  Maintaining plant productivity without any workers being present to operate the machines is a daunting prospect. But, with the present need for plants to be managed both remotely and seamlessly, this challenge is now very real. Although remote working has never been common practice in manufacturing, digital […]

Veronica Grasso from Hyster Europe reveals the latest thinking on lift truck power options by the company’s engineering Think Tank.  She claims there is no “one size fits all” and gives compelling reasons why some options are better than others in different industry applications. When to choose lithium-ion lift trucks Lithium-ion is becoming a popular […]

Jonathan Bailey – Director, Business Transformation, Dassault Systèmes This past month, we celebrated World Engineering Day to highlight the achievements of engineers in our modern world and improve the public understanding of the role engineering and technology play in our lives. From creating all the inventions that have radically changed the way we live, work […]

Industry trailblazers Andrea Thompson (BAE Systems), Andrea Hough (ATEC Engineering Solutions) and Donna Edwards (Made Smarter) say manufacturing SMEs can inspire a generation and close the gender gap The digital transformation of manufacturing has the potential to kick start a golden age for women in the industry. The number of girls’ participating in STEM subjects […]