reasons to be cheerful - st. joseph's preparatory school news - dec 2011.pdf† iosh managing...

C o n f e d e r a t i o n o f B r i t i s h M e t a l f o r m i n g

DEC

EMB

ER 2

011

news ● views ● reviews

Despite the media gloomREASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

www.britishmetalforming.com

Christmas has always been a time when families and friends cometogether in celebration, and I think it’s particularly important this yearthat we all use the holiday break to relax and recharge for the

challenges ahead.Everyone in business knows that 2012 will be tough, but I still think there are manyreasons to be positive.

Much good news has come recently from the Midlands, notably Jaguar Land Rover’sdecision to create 1,000 jobs at its plant just south of Birmingham - a tremendousvote of confidence in the skills of British engineers, and the future ofmanufacturing.

Its new £355 million engine plant, at Wolverhampton, will create another 800jobs directly, and at least three times that number within JLR’s nationwidesupply chain.

It was equally great to see that the Advanced Manufacturing Institute atSheffield University has won £9.2m from the government’s Regional GrowthFund, for a new training centre.

Elsewhere, the new Hinkley Point C nuclear power station is progressingnicely, and EDF Energy calculate that the project will mean work for some800 companies, of which the largest 50 will get around £12m of workapiece.

Meanwhile, the development of a new University Technical College byAston University and our own school-based learning initiative withWalsall Business Partnership are helping attract youngsters tocareers in our industry.

Nationally, the government’s renewed commitment toapprenticeships will benefit us all, as they are ouremployees of tomorrow.

After a lifetime in engineering, I know very wellthat when trading conditions are tough, andaccess to finance is very difficult, that it’s easy tobecome pessimistic, but we all need toremember that headline-writers always preferbad news to good.

Have a great Christmas, and all the best forthe New Year.

Dennis Kent

CBM Chief Executive



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Engineering UK 2012 – The state of engineering

This is to alert you to the on-line availability ofEngineering UK 2012, our annual flagship reportinto the state of engineering, which Vince Cable,

Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills,states in his foreword, ‘is a benchmark against which theperformance of the engineering sector over the coming year can be judged’.This year’s report hinges on a central fact: that the lead role in rebalancingthe economy, addressing climate change and feeding a growing populationwill rest with engineering employers. It confirms that the engineeringsector is at the forefront of the UK’s growth agenda and that jointly we,businesses, education and Government can overcome the technological,environmental and skills challenges that lie ahead in order to deliversignificant sustainable growth.The report was the subject of a roundtable meeting at the Department forBusiness, Innovation and Skills on 8 December hosted by Minister forBusiness and Enterprise, Mark Prisk, which brought together leaders fromindustry and education to address these challenges. On 14 December,members of all of EngineeringUK’s advisory panels will meet to debate thefindings of the report and consider actions that the engineering communitymight take to address some of the issues it highlights. Electronic copies of the full report and the executive summary andconclusions can be found at: http://www.engineeringuk.com/what_we_do/education_&_skills/engineering_uk_12.cfmAny queries or comments on the report, then please feel free to contactNeil Randerson, Senior Researcher at:[email protected] directly.

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Britain’s engineering companies are stillstruggling to shake off the impact of recession,according to the most influential analysis of the

sector.The October Business Monitor from the Engineering& Machinery Alliance (EAMA) reports that inquirylevels from overseas markets were again weak,following falls in August and September.EAMA’s twelve trade associations - including theCBM - represent some 1,700 firms throughout themanufacturing and metal-forming sectors, so themonthly statistics are considered a solid guide toindustrial performance and prospects.However, although hopes of an export-led recoverymay have been dampened, domestic inquiries wereup a notch to plus-17%.The three-month rolling average is now only plus-2% for UK orders, and minus-6% for exports, bothsignificantly down on the same period in 2010,although EAMA points out that those figures are asnapshot of companies reporting changes in theirorder-books, not a measure of contract size.Employment data looks healthy though, with almosta quarter of firms indicating that they are recruiting,and although reported investment is down to itslowest since October 2010 - at 29% - another 31%of respondents say they are considering suchspending. Overall, the availability of finance remains the majorissue, although EAMA says some sectors are findingaccess easier.

BSI has circulated ten new or amended ISO fastener standards tomembers of the fastener standards committee during the past threemonths. Most of these relate to slotted or cross-head drives, with one

hexagon socket product, and one reference standard. The detailed listing,giving the standard numbers and information on their scope, has beenposted in the member’s area of the CBM website.

Each complete standard document is available for download frombsigroup.com.

In addition, the CBM website has the previous listings of new BSI and ISOfastener standards from 2011, a total of 40 new issues during the year. The2010 listing of new fastener and spring standards is also posted.

For further information please contact John Newnham at the CBM on 0121 601 6350 or email: [email protected].

EAMA’s researchsays sector

still flatlines

New Fastener Standardsnow listed on CBM website

Login to the

members area

Who is it for?

“Managing safely” is the nationally recognised health and safety qualification formanagers, supervisors and team leaders in any sector or organisation. It's designed toget your people up to speed on the practical actions they need to take to handle healthand safety in their teams, and also includes environmental awareness.

Why should people attend?

The course will elevate the profile of safety and environmental issues at managementlevel within your organisation, allowing you to reduce accidents, costs and minimiseyour legal liabilities. With increased emphasis on corporate liability, you must ensureyour staff are adequately trained, and this course is ideal to meet these needs.

When is the course?

The courses are running on: • 22, 29 February & 7, 14 March 2012• 6, 13, 20 & 27 June 2012• 12, 19, 26 September & 3 October 2012

Venue:

National Metalforming Centre, West Bromwich, West Midlands

How much does it cost?

CBM members - £395 / Non-CBM members - £495

For further information please contact Kirsi Lintula at the CBM offices on 0121 601 6350 / email [email protected]

or visit www.britishmetalforming.com/events.aspx.

CBM will be running IOSH Managing Safely courses at the National Metalforming Centre during 2012

IOSHManaging

Safely


National Metalforming Centre, 47 Birmingham Road, West Bromwich, West Midlands B70 6PY.Telephone: 0121 601 6350Fax: 0121 601 6373Email: [email protected]


members newsInnovation for the next the generation

An innovative partnership between Dudley College and theLean Education And Development Group has designeda very unique and innovative apprenticeship model.This model is the first of its kind in the country, and is offered to 16-18 year old apprentices as a unique mix of qualification outcomes inengineering and modern continuous improvement techniques, whichcan be applied in any work environment.The combination of the partnership and a blended learning approach,also supported by the apprentice’s employer, ensures skills are taughtto future proof the engineering and manufacturing industries in theWest Midlands.“This partnership is a successful demonstration of how collaborative working can maintainthe future of our local industries and indeed our next generation,” said Phil Walters,managing director of LEAD Ltd.The apprenticeship programme lays down a foundation for the apprentice, firstly tocomplete the advanced apprenticeship at Dudley College’s impressive engineeringdepartment, but then to follow a development path through to university level and beyondif they wish.Phil Walters said: “This is a proving a very successful and exciting opportunity forapprentices to be able to learn continuous improvement skills at the beginning of theirengineering or manufacturing career. This will give them a very valuable head start.”

Source: Express & Star

Barrett Steel first to introduce fibre laser cutting tothe UK

Barrett Precision Tubes, part of the Barrett Steel Group, is the first steelstockholder to introduce a fibre laser cutting system to the UK by commissioning a LT FIBER laser cutting system at the Lasertube North plant in York.Specifically designed and developed for cutting tubes and open profiles, the new

technology offered by fibre laser cutting increases the range of materials that can beprocessed, particularly highly reflective materials such as copper, brass, stainless steeland aluminium. It therefore brings significant benefits to customers in the marine, naval,aerospace, oil, gas, petrochemical, architectural and heating and plumbing sectors.“The benefits of the LT FIBER are huge,” says Mark Halley, Managing Director of BarrettPrecision Tubes. “As well as cutting reflective materials, it offers faster cutting speeds anda smoother cut surface on the finished product.“Compared to traditional methods, laser processing offers cost savings because of thereduction in the number of processes needed; it also offers dramatic improvements inenergy efficiency, which fits in well with our ‘going green’ policy.The LT FIBER laser cutting system accommodates tube up to 152mm in diameter to aminimum input length of 3.2 metres and a maximum input length of 8.5 metres. Automatedchangeover to different size tubes can occur in as little as three minutes. The laser alsohas the ability to process open profile sections.

More information is available from Sarah Howarth at Lasertube North,

email: [email protected]: 07894 251358 / 01904 757669

www.barrettsteel.com

• Barrett Steel introduces fibre laser cutting to the UK.

• IOSH Managing Safely 22 February 2012 'Managing Safely' is the nationallyrecognised H&S qualification formanagers, supervisors and team leadersin any sector or organisation.

• MACH 201216 April 2012MACH 2012 takes place 16-20 April at the NEC, Birmingham.

• IOSH Managing Safely06 June 2012'Managing Safely' is the nationallyrecognised H&S qualification formanagers, supervisors and team leadersin any sector or organisation.

• Subcon 2012 12 JuneThe next Subcon will take on June 12-14, 2012 at the NEC, Birmingham

• IOSH Managing Safely 12 September 2012'Managing Safely' is the nationallyrecognised H&S qualification formanagers, supervisors and team leadersin any sector or organisation.

All events are held at the CBM Headquarters,

National Metalforming Centre, West Bromwich B70 6PYunless otherwise stated.

For further information or to book a place please visit:


CBM eventsdiary

ISME visit to JCBThe Institute of Sheet Metal Engineering have arranged a visitto the Rocester plant on Tuesday 14th February.30 places are up for grabs, first come first served.The visit includes lunch in the JCB hospitality restaurant.Price including lunch is £26 for ISME members and £32 for non members. Please notethe price includes the JCB charge for the plant tour.Please go to www.isme.org.uk for a booking form.Any queries please contact Adrian Nicklin, ISME Events. Mobile: 07774 260126.

Tax expert steps in to give power press firm a cost-effective boostA West Midlands tax specialist has helped a Black Country engineering firm claim back£26,702 spent on research and development.R&D Tax and Grants has been working on behalf of Midland Power Press Servicesto claim cash back from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.It works with companies which have less than 500 employees to get tax refunds quicklyand similar annual reductions on the corporation tax bills in the future.The firm said it was pleased it had been able to help in claiming back the money.The MPPS was initially established as a sole enterprise but now employs a team of skilledengineers to provide system solutions such as reconditioning, refurbishing or re-designing existing equipment. This means firms do not have to spend cash on buyingnew machines.An example of the company’s work includes development of a system to incorporate anew clutch and brake unit into a firm’s 40-year-old 400 ton press to enable the machineto function to modern standards.Managing director of R&D Tax and Grants Mark Evans said: “It’s a real pleasure to assistcompanies like the firm in Tipton. This is a perfect example of how important it is forHMRC to continue to support research and development projects.“The team at MPPS had to undertake an enormous amount of research and developmentto overcome the problems and provide a successful practical and cost-effective solutionthat enabled their client to continue production in the UK.

Source: Express & Star

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