South Yorkshire is to host the UK’s first Investment Zone for advanced manufacturing, potentially giving a boost for nearby communities. As the first Advanced Manufacturing Investment Zone in the UK, South Yorkshire will have access to £80 million in public funding to attract further private funding. Some 8,000 jobs are expected to be created thanks to £1.2 billion of private investment in the zone. Private and public investors are joining with the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) to extend AMRC’s Factory 2050 with a facility name Compass, which is short fo ..read more

A surge in manufacturing has contributed to better-than-expected GDP, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS reports manufacturing growth of 2.4% as being the greatest contributor to production, with the pharmaceutical and transport industries performing particularly well: “The manufacturing sector saw growth in 11 of its 13 subsectors…with manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations the largest contributor to growth, growing 7.9% in June 2023. Notable growth was also seen in the manufacture of transport equipment, which grew 4.8% in Ju ..read more

Energy giant Shell and the multinational private security firm G4S, which are both based in the UK, have entered into a new global partnership aimed at decarbonising G4S’s fleet to improve sustainability. G4S operates a fleet of around 2,500 vehicles in the UK and Ireland, with these including cash vans, patrol cars and ambulances. It aims to make its car fleet emission free by the end of this decade, followed by its entire fleet by 2040. By 2050, the company aims to be an overall net-zero emitter of greenhouse gasses. In a news release on its website, G4S said: “A company the size and scale ..read more

France-based energy company TotalEnergies and other firms – including Azimut, Technip Energies, and Baker Hughes – have preliminarily come to an agreement to invest in the Zhero Europe venture, which seeks to develop renewable energy projects on a large scale in Africa and Europe. TotalEnergies, which makes the Total coolant and lubricant range, is committed to becoming a net-zero business by 2050, and it intends to have 100 GW in renewable generation and storage capacity by the end of this decade. Stephane Michel of TotalEnergies said the company welcomed the chance to work with Zhero Europe ..read more

The CBI has published its latest Industrial Trends Survey for the three months up to July, with it showing that UK manufacturers are reporting improving sentiment for the first time in years. Output volumes also appear to have turned a corner after gradually falling in the survey in February. They stabilised in the last quarter and are predicted to return to growth in the current quarter. The situation remains challenging for manufacturers, however, as they continue to face pressure on margins. The rise in unit costs accelerated, while growth in domestic retail prices eased off. The intention ..read more

In the first half of this year, the UK automotive sector produced some 58,675 commercial vehicles (CVs), the highest unit output since 2011. This is according to new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). June marked the third successive period of growth for EV output; this was the best June figure since 2008. While the sector has struggled to get car production back to pre-pandemic levels, CV production is now up 67.0% on the first half of 2019, with this being driven by growing overseas demand. About two thirds of all CVs were shipped overseas, with more than 9 in 1 ..read more

Lubricants are essential solutions for many enterprises, industries and applications. Available as fluids, oils, sprays and greases among other formats, these products can be all-natural or entirely man-made. While food grade lubricants typically share the common characteristics of all lubrication products, they are designed with specific qualities which allow them to be classified as food grade. Read on to learn more about these built-for-purpose lubricants which are used in industries such as food and beverage manufacturing, as well as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals production. The role of lu ..read more

A proposed battery gigafactory south of Coventry in the West Midlands will continue to be under active consideration despite Tata, the owner of Jaguar Land Rover, choosing to invest £4 billion to build a similar facility. There had been concerns that the West Midlands Gigafactory (WMG), which is a public–private joint venture between Coventry Airport and Coventry City Council, could cease to be an attractive business opportunity given the size of Tata’s investment, but Councillor Jim O’Boyle insisted the project was still progressing at speed. While Tata’s factory will likely make half the bat ..read more

UK manufacturers are increasingly investing in digital technology as part of their decarbonisation journeys, according to a recent study published by manufacturing organisation MakeUK. The study, which is titled “Decarbonisation through Digitalisation”, was conducted together with Sage, which specialises in providing cloud-based solutions for managing businesses. It reveals that almost half (47%) of the surveyed UK manufacturers are already following a plan for investing in digital technologies. What’s more, about a quarter of businesses have invested in digital solutions already. Of those com ..read more

In a big win for the UK automotive sector, Tata has confirmed it will build its new battery gigafactory at a site in Somerset. An alternative site in Spain had also been considered. The new £4 billion plant will be one of the largest in Europe and Tata’s first outside India, with production expected to begin in 2026. Tata is the owner of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), and batteries made at the site near Bridgewater will be supplied to JLR for use in electric vehicles under the Land Rover, Jaguar, and Range Rover brands. The factory will also supply other carmakers. Mike Hawes, the chief executive of ..read more