Welcome to the Friday Brief for 23 May 2014.
The economic news this week shows that UK business investment increased for the fifth consecutive quarter at the start of 2014, the first time it has managed a run of five positive quarters since 1998. Also this represents the highest level since the third quarter of 2008. There is related good news from the Bank of England Agents report showing that investment intentions have increased, “reflecting growing confidence in demand and, for some, an improvement in the availability of finance”.
This week sees the announcement that the MTA will be hosting an advanced machining event on 24 June as part of the Global Manufacturing Festival taking place 24th-25th June, at the AMRC in Sheffield. Visitors will be able to view live demonstrations including the latest tooling, toolholders and toolpart cutting technology. As part of an agenda setting conference internationally recognised leaders will discuss the future of machining and the range of emerging technologies coming to the fore.
We also have news of a headline conference on 19 June in Birmingham being organised by the IMechE looking at the future of manufacturing. Entitled ‘How new technologies can improve the performance and competitiveness of UK manufacturing’ the conference is designed to inform and inspire engineers on the disruptive technologies that are transforming production environments. Amongst the speakers will be Dr Emma Rushforth, Warwick Manufacturing Group; Professor Steve Burnage, University of Surrey/Lockheed Martin; Dr Helen Meese, IMechE; Ben Morgan, Sheffield AMRC and Graham Dewhurst, the Director General of the MTA.
There is a reminder to MACH exhibitors to complete their survey returns. These questionnaires provide valuable feedback on the exhibition and will help make MACH 2016 even better.
We welcome new member TDT Technology Ltd to the Association this week. The Company is based in Rugby and is the official UK & Ireland importer, sales distributor and service agent for a range of European machine-tool-sector manufacturers.
Also in this week’s Brief is the first news about the annual Inter-Association Golf Day. This popular event will take place on 16 July at the Leicestershire Golf Club, so weather permitting this Bank Holiday weekend could be a good excuse for some practice.
Have a good holiday weekend.
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Newsletter Listing intro for week 21
Inter-Association Golf Day
The annual Inter-Association Golf Day will take place on 16 July at the Leicestershire Golf Club, so save the date for this exciting event.
Teams will compete for the Inter-Association Rose Bowl and the MACH Trophy. The day will conclude with a three course evening meal and prize giving.
Further details will be available shortly.
MTA welcomes TDT Technology Ltd
The MTA welcomes new member TDT Technology Ltd to the Association. The Company based in Rugby is the official UK & Ireland importer, sales distributor and service agent for a range of European machine-tool-sector related manufacturers. The Company’s technical partners and product range includes: Repar2 Machine Guards, ALGRA Tool Holders and Driven Tooling, Duplomatic Tool Turrets, C.M.T. Workholding, Tecnomagnete Magnetic Workholding and BRANKAMP Process Monitoring. We also supply a wide range of Industrial Magnets and Tool Sharpening equipment.
Smarter Factories Conference
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is organising a key sector conference in June entitled: How new technologies can improve the performance and competitiveness of UK manufacturing.
MACH EXHIBITORS SURVEY
With thanks again to those who have already replied, can we remind you that the Exhibitors Survey for MACH 2014 is still open for your input. The questionnaire is available on-line at http://www.mta.org.uk/mach2014-exhibitors-survey but if you would prefer a paper copy that you can peruse, complete and return, please contact Geoff Noon at MTA (gnoon@mta.org.uk) and we will e-mail a word document to you.
Advances in Machining
The MTA is hosting an advanced machining event on the 24th June as part of the Global Manufacturing Festival (24th-25th June), at the AMRC in Sheffield.
Global leaders in the field of machining will present the challenges anticipated in the future, and discuss the range of different technologies and solutions to address these challenges. You will be able to view live demonstrations which will include the latest tooling, toolholders and toolpart cutting strategy, prediction of machining dynamics and 3D tool wear measurement.
ECONOMIC NEWS
UK GDP, 2nd estimate, 1st Quarter 2014: The latest data on the UK economy from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is unrevised from the first estimate which was published at the end of April. It shows that the UK economy grew by +0.8% compared to the final period of 2013 and was +3.1% larger than a year ago. The UK economy has not quite got back to where it was before the recession began in the 2nd quarter of 2008 (the 1st quarter was the peak level), but is likely to have done so during the current quarter.