MD of steel fabricators issues an urgent call to support the future of the welding industry The UK is facing a crisis in its welding workforce and the numbers are alarming. WorldSkills UK estimates a shortage of more than 35,000 skilled professionals. The UK’s 2025 industrial strategy green paper specifically states “The UK has a […]
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The world’s petrochemical industry is in a time of transition. Facing the worst business downturn in a generation due to overcapacity and the stalled global economy, nearly every major petrochemical producer in Europe is reviewing assets for closure. For an industry navigating the transition away from fossil fuels and managing the trade volatility created by the […]
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The ripple effects of global events have amplified economic volatility, heightening the risk of non-payment for businesses. Nearly 50% of all B2B transactions in the UK are offered on credit, and recent statistics show 51% of B2B invoices are overdue, with 7% being a bad debt1. This can place a growing concern on the financial […]
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By Karl Tucker, Chair, Great South West Partnership As the UK sets its sights on reindustrialisation and global competitiveness, the Great South West is stepping forward as a region ready to deliver. Our newly launched Manufacturing Investment Plan sets out a blueprint for how we can deliver national resilience, innovation, and prosperity, aligned with the […]
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By Andrew King, Founder of SGT Andrew King is the founder of SGT, a Buckinghamshire-based firm helping businesses across the UK find commercial energy tariffs that meet their needs while keeping costs low. Andrew explores energy security in the manufacturing sector, focusing on strategies to safeguard operations against supply chain disruptions in volatile energy markets. […]
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Each year, one early-career chemical or process engineer swaps the lab bench for the corridors of Westminster, not to become a politician, but to help inform them. The Ashok Kumar Fellowship, funded by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) and the Materials Processing Institute, gives engineers the chance to spend three months working in the […]
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By Sharif Narouz, Programme Director, Future Materials Campus (FMC), AWE The projected outlook for the UK’s construction and manufacturing sectors is something of a mixed picture. Even though 2025 still predicts modest growth, there are significant challenges up ahead. Construction continues to grapple with falling employment levels while manufacturing output has slipped, falling 0.9% between […]
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Steve Fletcher, Joint Head of Corporate at Gallagher’s UK Retail Birmingham Office, shares how the manufacturing industry is adapting to a more complex risk environment—and why insurance has a bigger role to play than ever before. Q: How would you describe the current state of the manufacturing sector? It’s a sector that’s shown incredible resilience, […]
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Attributed to Michelle Reece, Director at ABS Limited. It’s a little known fact, that the companies which succeed with their technology investments aren’t necessarily those with the largest budgets or most advanced systems. They’re usually the ones that prioritise the human element – specifically, recruitment and training – as foundational components of their digital transformation. […]
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HACO A/S, a Danish family-owned company, is now equipped for the future of wind energy by installing its second large machine from Starrag. The company can now machine massive rotor housings and brake discs for offshore wind turbines in the 14 to 15 megawatt class more efficiently and precisely than ever before. The small town […]
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