Qimtek Industry Round Up - 13-12-2016

Vince Cable: Brexit must not undermine industrial strategy

In a recent article for The Engineer, former business secretary Vince Cable shared his views on the industrial challenges that are facing the government, addressing the skills gap as well as the future of engineering.

In his piece, Cable stresses that the government must understand the underpinning of a successful manufacturing sector, and that it is time for engineering to garner the status and respect in the UK as it has in other countries and emerging economies across the world. However, he also believes that engineering industries have been given assurances in private – as with Nissan – that their priorities will be respected when it comes to Brexit negotiations.

To read more, head here.. http://ow.ly/WIef30752BA

Tata Steel and union chiefs reach deal to save Port Talbot jobs

Eight months on from Tata’s announcement of their intention to sell their UK steel assets, an agreement has been made on proposals to reform workers’ pensions and the introduction of an employment pact.

As well as this, Community, a trade union, has said that a 10-year £1bn investment plan will support steel making at Port Talbot over the coming years. Koushik Chatterjee, group executive director at Tata Steel, commented: “Tata Steel UK has developed a long-term investment plan to make the business more competitive in the future. The delivery of the transformation plan in the next couple of years, combined with a structural solution for the British Steel Pension Scheme fund, is essential for future investments.”

You can find out more about the new proposals by heading here.. http://ow.ly/AiFR30752Ft

Coventry – is the UK’s ‘motor city’ still driving forwards?

10 years ago, the last Peugeot rolled off the production line at the company’s Coventry plant at a time where some believed manufacturing in the city wouldn’t recover. Today, new technology and expanding businesses are inspiring confidence once again.

While the story of Coventry’s automotive businesses hasn’t always been positive, 2016 has seen a number of firms at the forefront of 21st Century engineering and design. Companies such as RDM Group are awaiting the go-ahead for trials with autonomous vehicles, while other big players like Jaguar Land Rover are continuing to push ahead with expansion in the city and hit their target of producing one million cars a year.

To take a look at how car manufacturing in Coventry has evolved, head here.. http://ow.ly/CRKf30752K0