Reshored production sees Clarks create 80 new jobs
British-based international shoe manufacturer and retailer, Clarks, is to open a new manufacturing unit in Somerset – more than a decade after moving production to the Far East. The new facility has reportedly been under development for the past two years and is expected to be based at Clarks headquarters in Street, Somerset. Clarks started making shoes in the UK almost 200 years ago, but production was relocated to the Far East in 2005, according to reporting by the BBC. Read more...
New £350K R&D competition tasks tech innovators with solving real-world challenges
A new initiative launched today by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVMC) is seeking innovative UK small and medium enterprises (SMEs) whose technology can be adapted and commercialised to solve societal and industry challenges in sectors that are new to the company.The Horizontal Innovation Programme, which promotes the transfer of technology from one sector to another, offers UK SMEs access to advanced technology support to enable their innovation or product to be commercialised and help solve problems in one of seven sector categories: healthcare, agri-tech, energy, food and drink, transport, construction, and nuclear. Read more...
SMES - Have your say on Brexit
Small to Medium sized manufacturers (SMEs) can have their say on dealing with Brexit in the latest National Manufacturing Barometer.
The survey, conducted by SWMAS (part of the Exelin Group) in partnership with Economic Growth Solutions (EGS), is urging companies to come forward and have their say on one of the biggest changes to the global economy in decades.
Open until July 20th, firms are being asked how business has been since the vote, how they see it going over the next twelve months and what their biggest concerns are going forward, covering issues such as free movement of labour, trade tariffs and increased bureaucracy and paperwork. Read more...
£8.9m Lightweight Manufacturing Centre
The University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) will run the Scottish Government’s new £8.9 Lightweight Manufacturing Centre. The specialist centre will develop new manufacturing processes for lightweight materials, such as titanium and carbon fibre, and will be the first step towards creating a National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland. Read more...
UK team spins strong and stretchy synthetic spider silk
University of Cambridge researchers have developed an artificial spider-silk – claimed to be tough enough for a host of applications – but “spun” from a material that is 98 per cent water. The fibres, which the group claims could be used to make textiles, sensors and other materials, are “spun” from a soupy material called a hydrogel, which is 98 per cent water. The remaining 2 per cent of the hydrogel is made of silica and cellulose, both naturally available materials, held together in a network by barrel-shaped molecular “handcuffs” known as cucurbiturils. Read more...
Cranfield to host new £65m digital aviation centre
A consortium of industry, government and academic partners are building a new £65m digital aviation research facility at Cranfield University. The Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre (DARTeC) will focus on emerging aerospace challenges such as the integration of drones into civilian airspace, embedding technology into airport infrastructure, and providing self-sensing capabilities for aircraft. The centre will receive £15.5m of funding from the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF), as well as from industry partners that include Thales, Raytheon, SAAB, Monarch Aircraft Engineering Limited, Boeing UK and Aveillant. Read more...