Smart Machines & Factories

Two funding competitions for Britain’s most innovative businesses to come together to develop world-leading digital technologies to boost supply chain productivity and resilience to turbo-charge the COVID recovery, have been launched by Made Smarter and UK Research and Innovation.

The biennial co-located events; Smart Industry Expo, Drives & Controls, Fluid Power & Systems, Plant & Asset Management, and Air-Tech Exhibitions, which will be taking place between January 25th-27th 2021, alongside MACH, is on track to potentially be the largest UK manufacturing event in a generation.

Made Smarter, the movement helping SMEs join the Industry 4.0 revolution, has reached a major milestone having now funded more than 100 businesses.

Car manufacturer Honda was recently attacked by a cyber attack, which affected its ability to access its email and internal systems. The attack was felt across its entire global network, with experts widely suggesting it could be the work of the “Ekans” or “Snake” ransomware strain, designed to attack industrial control systems networks.

Car manufacturer Honda was recently attacked by a cyber attack, which affected its ability to access its email and internal systems. The attack was felt across its entire global network, with experts widely suggesting it could be the work of the “Ekans” or “Snake” ransomware strain, designed to attack industrial control systems networks.

One in three UK adults see a key role for the use of robotics in tackling the COVID-19 crisis and future pandemics, recent research has highlighted. The public poll, commissioned by the EPSRC UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems (UK-RAS) Network, which has been released as part of the annual UK Robotics Week, which returns for its fifth year from 22nd – 28th June 2020. 



Now in its 12th year, the Make UK Awards acknowledge and reward the extraordinary work of the UK manufacturing sector. The 2020 Make UK Awards seek to recognise leading lights within the manufacturing industry, looking for those apprentices and businesses that have made significant contributions across the industry.

Manufacturing Technology Centre Training has collaborated with Aston Business School to provide an MBA degree tailored for the development of leaders in manufacturing organisations of all sizes and sectors.

Made Smarter, a national movement which is helping SME manufacturers in the North West to adopt digital technologies, has appointed Glyn Jones as the new chair of its steering group.

Manufacturing Technology Centre chief executive Dr Clive Hickman has been appointed to head a new body launched today aimed at leading the resurgence of manufacturing industry in the Midlands.

VentilatorChallengeUK, the consortium of UK aerospace, automotive and medical businesses that has come together to produce at-scale medical ventilators for the NHS, celebrated two-months since it was formed.

The Royal Academy of Engineering is to make a special series of awards to recognise exceptional engineering in response to pandemic challenges. The awards are open to all engineers across the UK who have contributed to addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, across all technical specialities, disciplines and career stages.

ABI Research forecasts that in 2026, manufacturers and industrial firms will be spending on US$19.8 billion on data management, data analytics, and associated professional services.Manufacturing plants generate mountains of data throughout the day, every day. Traditionally, data has been noted on paper or analysed in spreadsheets. However, today it can be collected automatically via sensors and analysed with tools that far exceed spreadsheets’ capabilities.

The Manufacturing Technology Centre is launching a brand new initiative, in partnership with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, that brings world leading manufacturing research, technology and experts together. Embarking on a ten year mission, the £15 million funded programme aims to accelerate the implementation of innovative physical and digital manufacturing technologies into UK manufacturing and supply chains.

As part of the EU’s collective efforts to tackle the COVID-19 crisis, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has announced the launch of the ‘EIT Crisis Response Initiative’.

Made Smarter and engineering skills organisation Enginuity have worked together to launch a platform today, which delivers digital engineering skills in one place to Britain’s engineers and manufacturers at a time when they are needed more than ever.

The automotive industry is widely considered to be one of the pioneers of additive manufacturing (AM). Smart Machines & Factories reports.

Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems, has selected Iotics’ technology to enable digital solutions with asset-focused digital twins. Iotics says its technology has given Rolls-Royce the capability to unlock over 200 data sources, brokering interactions to create digital twins of their in-field assets, and receive real-time event insights across customer, supplier and partner boundaries. 

Interact Analysis’s new report on the market for predictive maintenance has highlighted the potential for a new relationship between component manufacturers, OEM machine builders, and end users.

The Royal Academy of Engineering has highlighted the key engineering-related risks and opportunities that COVID-19 poses for the UK beyond the immediate crisis response, drawing on the expertise of Academy Fellows and its partners in the National Engineering Policy Centre, who collectively represent 450,000 engineers across the UK.

The volume of cyber attacks on UK businesses increased by almost a third in the first three months of 2020, according to new analysis from Beaming, a specialist business ISP. Companies with internet connections experienced 157,000 attacks each, on average, in the first quarter, the equivalent of more than one a minute.

Omron has taken part in the development of an emergency ventilator, in a project spearheaded by TheOpenVentilator a non-profit making association. The new ventilators are being built in Spain to help COVID-19 patients who need mechanical ventilation, using industrial equipment of high quality and reliability.

Manufacturers have welcomed the Government’s announcement last night to encourage those manufacturers who have not continued to operate to return to business. The advice comes after confirmation that the UK was now through the peak of this pandemic.

The Bristol-based Centre for Modelling & Simulation (CFMS), a not-for-profit specialist in digital engineering, has announced the appointment of Dr James Gopsill to develop a joint digital engineering capability between CFMS and the University of Bristol.

If a week is a long time in politics then the last couple of months have felt like a lifetime. Stephen Phipson, Chief Executive of Make UK, reports.