Welcome to this week’s edition of the Friday Brief, for 3rd October 2014
Firstly we have have been experiencing a serious technical problem with our BT connection here at the MTA Head Office and have been without reliable access to our emails for most of this week. Hopefully we are now back on line, where we hope to stay, but if in doubt about things getting through, please give us a call.
Through old school letters, and the odd fax, news has found its way to us that Finance Birmingham has launched a new national tooling funding programme with the purpose to fund the design, development and manufacture of tools or expanding tooling capacity. We also heard through smoke signals that Renishaw’s Lucy Aukland has been shortlisted in the IET’s Young Women Engineer of the Year Award – so good luck to her from us all!
The MTA Annual dinner has been confirmed for the 12th March 2015 – so get it in your diary and don’t forget to register for our MQM and AGM (29th Oct and 2nd December respectively).
In other dates for your diary, Tornos & Matsuura will be joined by Fanuc Robotics, Nikken, Edgecam & Delcam for the Event Think: Production – on the 14th, 15th and 16th of October 2014. Registration is also open for Euspen’s Structured and Freeform Surfaces meeting taking place on the 19th and 20th November 2014. Finally the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Ultra Precision is holding a one day meeting at The OpTIC Centre, St Asaph, North Wales on Wednesday 19th November 2014.
If you’re going to JIMTOF in Tokyo at the end of the month then please let us know. The MTA will have a stand in the area between the East and West Halls at the Big Sight Exhibition Centre. UKTI are also hosting a mission to the Exhibition and there may be opportunities for you and your company to take part in some, what could be very useful, networking events.
In Economic News, there are a couple of significant headlines. The Purchasing Managers Index numbers are definitely pointing to a slowdown in activity around the world, although at risk of sounding like Corporal Jones, we must be clear that this is not a panic. What we are seeing generally is a slowing or levelling off in growth and not, in most cases, a decline.
The 2nd highlight comes from the UK National Accounts; the publication of this data by the ONS was accompanied by significant changes in methodology that have somewhat changed history as well as an upward revision in the latest numbers. This does suggest that the UK economy is still in a reasonably healthy position with the annualised rate now at +3.2%, but with some signs of weakness from the other indicators in recent months - perhaps more in our major export markets rather than at home - the timing of the MTA Forecasting Seminar which is being held on 23rd October is very appropriate as it will take a comprehensive look at the prospects for the UK and global economy.
If you have any news you would like to share with MTA members please email Ollie on olawson@mta.com or give us a ring on 020 7298 6400. Have a good weekend.