Bullet-proof textile to be manufactured - 30-08-2007 - 15:32

A Scottish company has designed a new textile that can stop bullets, be used automotive manufacturing and construction.

Don & Low, based in Angus, has received a grant of £144,000 to develop the fabric called self-reinforced polypropylene (srPP).

The fabric, which is made of woven strips fused at the edges, is strong enough to take the impact from shrapnel, has also got civilian applications.

The main interest is from ballistics, because the fabric can absorb the impact from blasts and shrapnel.

David Avril, Don & Low development manager, told BBC Scotland: "We are getting interest from the military, with the situation in Iraq, but also from private individuals for personal protection because people want reinforced cars."

But srPP also has peacetime purposes; it can fill car bumpers or be used in the construction industry.

Currently car bumpers are filled with glass fibre, which, unlike srPP, cannot be recycled.

The fabric can also be used on construction sites to shield workers and surfaces from the wind as well as being installed in homes as thermal insulation.

Sales at Don & Low are expected to increase by more than £2 million a year on the back of the development of the bullet-proof textile.

East Anglia engineers to meet - 29-08-2007 - 15:23

Representatives from engineering companies and manufacturers in East Anglia will get together to network, share expertise and train at the Exhibition of Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering 2007.

The meeting at Hethel Engineering Centre on September 13th will be an opportunity for members of the sector to share best practise and showcase expertise and successes.

Organisers hope that through networking, sharing and collaboration, the engineering and manufacturing sectors in the region will continue to attract investment, maintain a skilled labour pool and create jobs.

Visitors and exhibitors will have a chance to attend seminars and take a look at a machining equipment showroom and training facility.

Simon Coward, chief executive of Hethel Engineering Centre, told the Eastern Daily Press: "It's important that the members of these sectors in our region come together to share experiences and offer advice to each other.

"Through a cohesive effort we can keep the region at the leading edge of engineering and manufacturing excellence, thereby generating more jobs and economic wealth."

Engineering jobs rise against the trend - 15-08-2007 - 13:30

Engineering was among one of the sectors to see positive job growth in July, according to one online employment index.

While the Monster Employment Index UK dropped five points overall in June, engineering hiring bucked the trend, recovering from a slight dip in June and showing growth.

Compared to the previous month, the number of engineering opportunities grew by 13 points to take the year-on-year growth to 27 per cent compared to last year.

The overall picture saw regional dips, with north England, the south -east and London offering fewer jobs than the previous month.

However, in the engineering sector all regions showed growth and London in particular saw a big increase.

Summer traditionally is a time for a slowdown in job offerings, but the much-heralded skills shortage and the growth of the engineering sector seems to be colluding to offer more opportunities.

Fuelling the growth in the engineering sector are both massive construction projects and the improving performance of the oil and gas sectors.

UK manufacturing "renaissance" - 07-08-2007 - 11:01

Manufacturing in Britain is experiencing a "renaissance" as it hits its best period in the last eight years in spite of difficulties companies face as a consequence of the strong pound.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics revealed an output rise of 0.2 per cent in June, the fourth monthly increase in a row.

While basic manufacturing companies have struggled with competition from China, high-value added areas such as aerospace and pharmaceuticals have thrived on the demand from China's markets.

"There is a renaissance in manufacturing going on. A lot of the dead wood has gone to the wall but what is left is robust and innovative," Geoff Ford, chairman of Ford Component Manufacturing told the Guardian.

He added that 60 per cent of UK manufacturing companies were set to hire more people and offer more jobs.

Engineering Employers Federation senior economist Jeegar Kakkad told the newspaper that mechanical and electrical engineering firms were doing well and pointed at Rolls Royce as an example of companies that moved basic production abroad.

He said: "Many firms have shifted basic production into lower-cost countries in the far east and Middle East but have retained the design work, the R&D, the high-value-added stuff in Britain."

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New factory gives company more space - 01-08-2007 - 17:33

A new factory on the outskirts of Norwich, which represents an investment in engineering skills, is part of one company's plan to treble its £35 million-a-year turnover.

The factory built for packaging machine designer Bradman Lake Group has 50,000 square feet of manufacturing space and consolidates ifs factory in Whiffler and in Beccles.

Bradman Lake Group designs packaging machines for seven of the world's ten largest confectionary manufacturers, among other household names.

Dennis Juenger said that the new site will host product development and will be where the groups global engineering teams come together.

He added that the size of the site would allow the company to develop systems on a scale inaccessible to the firm before.

And, he claimed that it was not just the company that would benefit.

"It's a great investment in British engineering and in the skill base in East Anglia, and this new facility really is the jewel in our crown," he said.