Daily Manufacturing News Digest

Each day The Manufacturer compiles the top manufacturing news stories from around the web. To make your life a little easier, we trawl through all the major trade publications, broadsheets and business magazines to find you the most important manufacturing news each morning. Don't forget to bookmark this page and check back daily.

The manufacturing downturn deepened in May, as rates of contraction in output, new orders and employment all accelerated. Manufacturers were hit by weak domestic market sentiment, lower new export order intakes and client destocking, which offset the tapering benefits from improving supply chains. There was better news on the costs front, however, with average input prices falling for the first time in three-and-a-half years.

Maddie Walker, Industry X lead for Accenture in the UK, said: "With continued pressures on consumers dampening demand for new orders, the UK's manufacturing sector remains on distinctly rocky ground at a four-month low. However, there are signs ahead that manufacturers continue to be optimistic about, such as the prospect of lower energy bills and inflation gradually abating, which are already beginning to reduce input costs for many. Those that continue to invest in digital technology and workforce skills for the future can build resilience and will be in a stronger position for growth when domestic demand returns." Read more via S&P Global / CIPS UK Manufacturing PMI

One of the UK's most successful industrial business support programmes comes to an end in June after helping the manufacturing sector to create or safeguard 12,435 SME jobs since 2016.

The Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), which is designed and delivered by Oxford Innovation Advice, will see funding from the European Regional Development Fund end and is now urging the government and local authorities to ensure that tailored advice for the manufacturing SME community is quickly put in place. Read more via The Manufacturer

The laser processing group at the Manufacturing Technology Centre has joined forces with 13 research organisations and leading companies across Europe to design and deliver the next generation of laser texturing systems.

The SYNTECS project is driven by sustainability and digitalisation principles to ensure maximum efficiency and productivity, and aims to increase the uptake and industrialisation of the technology among European manufacturers.

Component surface treatments offer a valuable way of improving the end results in areas such as roughness, scratch resistance and microbial resistance, and have been successfully used in manufacturing for decades. However increased industrial demands for more complex, customised and better performing components have resulted in a growing need for multi-functional surfaces. Read more via The Manufacturer

Around 300 jobs have been put at risk after a manufacturing firm announced plans to move production from the UK to Europe. SKF has revealed plans to shut its plant in Luton and relocate manufacturing to its facility in Poznan in Poland. It said the move to the continent was in order to "secure the long-term competitiveness on the European markets."

Manufacturing at the site in Luton, which makes spherical roller bearings, would be ramped down with a full closure anticipated by the end of 2024, said the firm. Aldo Cedrone, acting President for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, said: "Although it is a difficult decision to make, this is an important step in securing our long-term competitiveness on the European markets. Read more via ITVX

BAE Systems has launched Mission Advantage, a new technology partner programme that facilitates collaboration between BAE Systems’ Intelligence & Security sector and companies in the programme to deliver cutting-edge technologies to accelerate mission readiness.

Through the Mission Advantage programme, Intelligence & Security will work with companies and organisations that align to their customers’ digital modernisation objectives, to integrate and deliver advanced mission engineering, or offer disruptive, dual-use commercial, technologies that impact national security missions.

"Together with our partners, we’re unlocking and creating synergies that provide our customers a significant technological edge in support of national security," said Daniel Perkins, Director, Strategy & Technology Partnerships, for Intelligence & Security. "This programme will allow us to respond faster to evolving customer requirements and to address their most complex national security challenges." Read more via BAE Systems

British Steel‘s Basic Oxygen Steelmaking (BOS) Plant in Scunthorpe is celebrating 50 years of steelmaking. And the BOS Plant has now tapped a massive 168,777,000 tonnes.

Jim Worsley, Operations Director, Steelmaking, said: "This is an amazing achievement and a testament to the hard work, determination and resilience of all our previous and current Ironmaking and Steelmaking colleagues. Today, the BOS Plant remains an iconic building in the Scunthorpe landscape and continues to play a vital role in our site operations. It's been and continues to be an important part of the lives of many workers on our site."

The BOS Plant was just one part of what at the time was the largest ever investment the British Steel Corporation had made at the Scunthorpe site. The scheme was named the ‘Anchor Project’ and cost around £235m, the equivalent of nearly £2.1bn in today's money. Read more via British Steel