Around the Industry

An engineering business has bolstered its sustainability status after receiving its latest commendation from global rankings platform, EcoVadis. And the recognition solidifies its status as one of the most socially responsible-led businesses in the world. The adi Group, headquartered in Birmingham, has enhanced its reputation after being named Best Performer in the Wholesale, Services and Professionals category in the annual EcoVadis Sustainability Leadership Awards.

Small businesses have been some of the worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, lacking the resources needed to recover in the same manner as bigger companies. The new Help to Grow scheme announced by the UK Government plans to help Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) develop their digital competencies and boost their profits, while helping the nation expand its technological infrastructure. Here Neil Bellinger, Head of EMEA at EU Automation, explains what the new initiative means for the manufacturing sector.

The year 2020 has been named the ‘year of remote work’, due to the changing work conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. For many occupations, a suitable work environment requires no more than a desk, a PC and an Internet connection. However, maintenance engineers require innovative technology and expert software. In this article, Neil Ballinger, Head of EMEA at EU Automation, discusses the requirements of remote working maintenance engineers.

Sandvik Additive Manufacturing and part subsidiary, BEAMIT have established a strategic partnership with Immensa Additive Manufacturing Group, AM solution provider in the MENA region. Immensa Technology Labs is part of the high-technology Immensa Additive Manufacturing Group, which has played a vital role in several milestone additive projects across the region, since being founded in 2016. 

Coventry University engineering students from Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities are benefitting from support to help break down barriers to careers in the industry. Statistics from the Association of Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK) show that less than 10% of UK engineers are from BAME backgrounds, with nearly a third of all engineering university graduates being from the same background.

Inspekto, the company that founded the Autonomous Machine Vision (AMV) category, has partnered with Macnica, a global semiconductor distributor, to distribute its INSPEKTO S70 to a growing European customer base. Inspekto’s flagship product is the only visual inspection solution on the market to provide a truly plug and inspect experience.

In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, many medical equipment manufacturers have been setting up ambitious, fast-paced scale-up activities to boost production and shipment of critical resources. To do that, they require highly responsive and reliable partners, who play a crucial role in the implementation of effective systems to quickly increase volume without compromising on quality. 

Automation is causing seismic shifts across many industries, as the adoption of intelligent technology promises to transform the way we live and work. At its core, automation has the potential to reduce our reliance on manual or physical labour, drive process efficiency, reduce administrative burden and produce more effective workflows in the process.

New research into the extent of the skills shortage has found that the manufacturing and engineering industry is the worst affected with 85% of businesses currently feeling the strain from a lack of skilled workers. The report, by Search Consultancy, also added that on average, businesses in the industry are 18% understaffed with the average lead time to hire a suitable candidate standing at just below four months.

WEG has extended its warehouse in Belgium. The expansion will increase storage space at the site by 1800 square metres (m²), facilitating future growth for the company, increasing flexibility for customers and providing new office space for staff. The additional 1800m² of storage expands on the current 4200 m² warehouse, extending the total size to 6000m². The expansion allows for the installation of three extra docks.