News & Updates Archives | Page 17 of 75

With many manufacturing businesses continuing to work throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, it’s fair to say that some of the equipment your business uses on a regular basis will be in need of some TLC. Focus has been placed predominantly on ensuring that orders are met, and this has meant that for many manufacturers, the regular equipment maintenance schedule they once had in place has been put on hold.

Here, we take a look at some of the benefits of focusing on equipment maintenance right now, whilst also giving you some insight into some of the steps you need to take to ensure you’re giving your equipment the right level of attention.

Benefits Of Carrying Out Equipment Maintenance Now

There are a number of benefits to carrying out equipment maintenance right now, from guaranteeing the safety of your staff to preventing machine breakdown. Here’s just a few of the main positives you can expect to see if you do happen to carry out equipment maintenance in the coming months:

It’s no secret that the manufacturing industry has soldiered on throughout the pandemic, but this could well have come at the cost of ensuring that maintenance schedules were adhered to throughout the last 3 months. It’s essential that all of your equipment is properly maintained to ensure the highest levels of efficiency, but even more importantly to guarantee that all of your machines are completely safe for your employees to operate.
With social distancing measures set to be in place for the foreseeable future, now is the ideal time to redeploy some of your staff to focus on maintenance for all of the equipment in your workplace. This enables your company to maintain social distancing with all employees, whilst also having the added benefit of ensuring that all of your equipment is fit for purpose.
If you take the time to ensure your main production line equipment is in fully working order, you can stand to save yourself the headache of dealing with equipment downtime if it does happen to break.

Focus On Preventative Maintenance

One of the first things you should consider doing when your full workforce is back in, is focusing predominantly on preventative maintenance for all of your equipment. This essentially means that you should assign some of your staff to give each piece of equipment a full check over, and ask them to keep an eye on any issues that could well crop up in the near future. This might be seeing general signs of wear and tear from a potentially older piece of equipment, or simply finding that your machines are simply not as efficient as they once were.

Once your staff have identified any problem equipment in your factory, it’s essential that you get experts in to fix any issues with your equipment as soon as possible. Taking steps to find issues and fix them ahead of a machine fully breaking down or becoming completely inefficient is essential at any time, but is especially important in the current situation as extended waiting times can be expected for most equipment in the manufacturing market.

Schedule Regular Maintenance Check Ups

If the pandemic has thrown your regular maintenance schedule into disarray, don’t worry! It’s fair to say that Covid-19 has thrown all businesses off their regular working schedule, so things like maintenance check ups have been put on hold at the moment. However, it’s essential that your business does take the time to implement a new servicing schedule to ensure that none of your equipment is faulty or in need of repairs.

Once you have a schedule in place, it’s essential that you assign an expert to regularly and consistently checking up on the overall health of your equipment throughout your facility. These check ups could well highlight some issues with your equipment that do need attention in the near future – and this could stand to save you a significant sum of money over time.

Don’t Be Afraid To Replace

If you do happen to find that one of your main pieces of equipment is in need of replacing, it’s important to remember that even if you have done your utmost to maintain it throughout its lifetime, machines will eventually break down. Whilst it’s not ideal, especially with current circumstances, it’s best to act quickly and place an order for a new piece of equipment as soon as you notice any issues that cannot be rectified.

Acting quickly is essential in this case, as any downtime could cost your business a significant amount of money, especially with many manufacturers finding themselves extremely busy with most businesses heading back to work in recent weeks. Always be sure to speak about just how long it will take for your new piece of equipment to be manufactured and delivered with suppliers, as lead times could be longer for some businesses than others!

As one of the nation’s leading spring manufacturers, we take great pride in ensuring that we consistently update and maintain our equipment on a regular basis. Just last year we invested heavily in a whole host of new spring manufacturing equipment across our three sites, and it’s fair to say that the increased productivity and efficiency those machines have brought to the company are well worth the initial investment!

It’s fair to say the last few months have brought up some negative stories around the industry due to the Covid-19 situation; however, in the last month there have been some fantastic, positive news stories pouring out of the sector.

Here, we take a look at some of the biggest stories from around the manufacturing and engineering world, whilst offering some of our own insights on each story.

UK Manufacturing Shows Signs Of Recovery Following Covid-19 Pandemic

Recent figures have shown signs that the UK manufacturing industry is showing signs of recovery following some of the worst damage inflicted during the Covid-19 outbreak. A survey from HIS showed that factory output had declined at a significantly slower pace in May than it had in April.

These positive signs came after lockdown measures had been eased slightly during May, which highlights how the industry is ready to get back to work, whilst employing social distancing measures to ensure the safety of all members of staff.

It should be noted that over the course of June, the figures should continue to show more signs of recovery for a larger range of manufacturing businesses, with most non-essential shops and workplaces set to open on the 15^th June.

It is vital that each and every company that works within the manufacturing and engineering sector do all that they can to get our industry back up and running, as our products and services could well hold the key to the country’s wider economic recovery in the months and years to come.

To read the full article, why not visit The Guardian’s website?

75% of People Now Believe In The Importance Of UK Manufacturing

New research has emerged that shows that 75% of people now believe more strongly in the importance of UK manufacturing. The research, which was conducted by Cadence Innovation Marketing, involved 2000 adults from around the country.

The most enlightening finding from the report was that 75% of people are now firmly behind the manufacturing sector, mainly down to the way the industry has stepped up to meet the challenge of supporting the nation during the Covid-19 pandemic. The nation has plenty of faith in the industry and believes that it genuinely has the power to help the economy get back up and running over the coming months.

It also found that 76% of people are concerned about cheap imported goods being brought into the UK in the wake of Covid-19, further highlighting just how important it is for UK manufacturers to continue growing their output and creating high-quality products.

As a UK based spring manufacturer, this news is fantastic to hear and we will continue doing our part to ensure the good name of manufacturing in this country continues to go on.

You can read more about the research by visiting The Manufacturer, where you’ll find more insight on other aspects of Cadence Innovation Marketing’s findings.

SpaceX Rocket Launch & Successful Docking With ISS

Spacecraft are a breath-taking feat of modern engineering and manufacturing, and in late May, after a delay of a few days, SpaceX’s craft successfully launched in America. The successful mission marks the first time that NASA astronauts have launched from US soil on a commercially built spacecraft. It was also the first manned launch of a spacecraft for nearly 10 years.

Launching on Saturday 30^th May at 3.22pm, SpaceX Crew Dragon docked with the International Space Station around 19 hours after take-off on Sunday morning, in a journey that saw the spacecraft orbit the earth at speeds of up to 17,500mph.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX corporation was founded in 2002, and since then has set about achieving the goal of enabling people to live on other planets in the future. This successful mission will hopefully go some way to achieving this goal in years to come.

You can read more about the journey, and find a few videos of the spacecraft in orbit by visiting The Engineer.

New Electronic Material is Stretchable, Self-Healing and Illuminating

New materials are constantly being developed and tested, and though each of these materials is impressive in its own way, the new material which has recently come out of the NUS Institute for Health and Innovation & Technology definitely caught our eye.

HELIOS (Healable, Low-field Illuminating Optoelectronic Stretchable) is a brand new material that can be used in both wearable technology and robotics. Whilst it pretty much sums up what the material does in its name, the material is completely self-healing, stretchable and electronic – a mixture that will stand it in good stead for future invention we are sure. There’s no doubt in our minds that this type of material is definitely the future of technology, and will likely be used extensively throughout the manufacturing industry.

Whilst we could go on forever about this incredible new material, we will instead point you in the direction of Interesting Engineering’s post on this new innovation.

At European Springs & Pressings, we regularly update our news page with all sorts of insights into the world of manufacturing and engineering, as well as with company updates, so be sure to check in regularly to see our latest take on the goings on in the industry.

With the manufacturing industry experiencing disruption as we have never faced before, it’s not surprising that a lot of things have been put on hold. Industry 4.0 was a much talked about subject before the global pandemic, but it still remains a relevant issue now.

In this article, we’re taking a look at how important Industry 4.0 is and how it will be affected going forward.

Why is Industry 4.0 Important?

Industry 4.0, or the fourth industrial revolution it’s often called, is the future of manufacturing. With the advent of the Internet of Things, virtual reality, blockchain, drones, Big Data, robotics, augmented reality, and so much more, it’s clear that digital technology plays a key role in manufacturing.

Discussion about industry 4.0 may have been overshadowed by the COVID-19 crisis, but many important elements are still set to be implemented this year. 5G rollout is one of them. Artificial intelligence remains just as important as well and many manufacturers depend on additive manufacturing.

There are many benefits to Industry 4.0, including how technologies can help companies to react to the market more quickly (and easily), how work-life balance of your employees can improve, how it’s innovation-centred and how it can lead to fast designs and productions.

The industry is undergoing a massive digital transformation, which can help businesses to remain competitive while driving innovation forward.

Industry 4.0 and Cybersecurity

With so much technology already in the works, cybersecurity is a concern, especially considering how devices are increasingly connected and automated. This can leave them vulnerable to attacks. It’s crucial that technologies are safe against these attacks by having protection built into their code, for example.

Blockchain is helping to ease some of these concerns by creating safer systems. Blockchain allows for decentralised digital transactions where information is securely stored in blocks that are then sealed. This premise allows machines to communicate safely.

So, while it’s crucial to continue advancing technologies, it’s also important to remember that the future of 4.0 will have to include sophisticated security.

Artificial Intelligence

AI and robots will remain just as important and, by 2030, AI-enabled next-generation robotics will transform both industries and society. Technology such as this one will be pivotal in all areas of life, from healthcare and aerospace to electronics and the private sector.

Artificial intelligence allows machines and robots to interact with one another and to learn from and adapt to different situations. This will lead to an exponential growth of industry, from driverless systems in the automotive sector to more intelligence aircraft.

5G Rollout

We mentioned how 5G is one of the main technologies to come out recently, but we can’t expect to see a full-on rollout yet. It’s still early days when it comes to this amazing technology but, once it becomes commonplace, it’s set to impact industries everywhere.

5G will likely continue to be implemented in 2020. This technology will improve automation and increase the speed of information transfer. Machines, including those that work independently, will see a boost in performance because of this. 5G, therefore, can lead to a burst of productivity for companies across the nation and the world as well.

Better Human-Machine Communication

Many people fear that automation will lead to job losses, but this isn’t necessarily the case. Of course, there will be exceptions but, overall, automation will lead to both humans and machines working together. Industry 4.0 will lead to an improvement of cooperation and communication between humans and machines, from better sensors in factories to better artificial intelligence systems.

This, of course, will lead to increased productivity for manufacturers, which will contribute to a financial boost to both the company and the economy.

High-Tech Sensors

Machines already have sensors in order to perform their tasks well. For example, a robot needs to know when to stop filling a bottle or when to stop working if there’s a foreign object on the belt. However, the future of Industry 4.0 will see even better sensors. Machines will self-analyse and constantly monitor themselves; they will also analyse algorithms and predict which tasks are needed from the data they studied.

Unplanned maintenance and downtime could affect companies financially, but this can help them to stay open.

European Springs and Technology

As spring manufacturers, we believe it’s important to stay up to date with the latest technological developments, especially as Industry 4.0 is here to stay – and will have a major impact on the future of manufacturing. This digital revolution has also allowed for increased innovation and creativity, something that will continue to lead to improved machines and solutions.

Our premises are also smart, as we invest a great deal in automation led by humans. This, combined with our modern, cutting-edge machinery, allows us to carry on providing our customers with the best springs, wireforms and pressings in the market.

Get in touch with us to learn more about what we can do for you.

The UK manufacturing sector is constantly changing, and this is especially true amid the current healthcare crisis. Every month, we look at the latest news from this industry in order to showcase what’s been going on; there have been plenty of developments in April, so take a look below at some of our favourite news stories from the last month.

UK Manufacturers are Helping Healthcare

One of the best bits of news to come out in April was the fact that many UK manufacturers have chosen to help the NHS deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. They are contributing to the production of ventilators and other essential tools and equipment, which have helped countless professionals and patients across the nation.

For instance, AE Aerospace produced over 6,000 ventilator parts in less than a fortnight, which was achieved by the staff working 24/7; Composite Integration are using their design and manufacturing capabilities to create face visors. There are plenty more examples of UK companies helping the medical industry.

European Springs are also doing our best to help out – from springs for ventilators and syringe drivers, we’ve been busy contributing to this sector and are thrilled to be able to help professionals across the UK. You can read more about our work in our article “Our Small Medical Components Are Playing a Large Role in Today’s Healthcare Climate”.

Make UK Say Apprenticeships Need to Continue

The manufacturers’ organisation has said that care needs to be taken not to keep the ‘next generation on lockdown’. Make UK believe that engineering and manufacturing employers shouldn’t postpone their apprentice recruitment plans, since more than 2,000 young people are looking for placements.

With many companies considering delaying or cancelling such programs due to the current situation, Make UK knows that manufacturers should look at the future of their business, especially considering how apprentices can offer new ideas that are key for growth.

Vauxhall in the Wirral Might Reopen with Social Distancing in Place

With some countries already easing their lockdown measures, it stands to reason that the UK will follow, sooner or later. So, many companies are already preparing for the inevitable and thinking about how they can ensure production while still obeying safety rules that will, no doubt, remain in place for a while.

The Vauxhall plant in Ellesmere Port, Wirral, is leading the way with its social distancing plans. The company wants to ensure that their employees have a safe return to work, so it has added signs of physical distancing throughout the plant, from the factory floor to rest areas and bathrooms.

Other measures include separate entrances for different groups of employees and the compulsory use of face masks and eye protection.

Re-Energising the UK Aircraft Industry

Founded to re-energise the UK aircraft sector, AERALIS will build innovative aircraft using a modular design in order to motivate a generation of young people to train in aerospace engineering, manufacturing and STEM subjects.

The company plans to provide a modular fighter trainer aircraft range to many air forces around the world, including the Royal Air Force. It’s important that the aircraft have the ability to be repaired several times in a fairly easy way, since they will be used for training. The outer wings, the empennage and the nacelle are likely to be made from composite.

AI is Helping Coral Reef Conservation

Technology is a key part of manufacturing, especially due to the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0. Artificial Intelligence is just one of the important technologies that are transforming the sector and the world. From helping to improve manufacturing processes to helping people with disabilities, AI can be used in a range of different ways.

Coral reef conservation is a great example of that. The technology is being used in the Philippines to monitor, characterise and analyse the resilience of coral reefs in an effort to preserve them. Corals create a habitat for many marine species, and are incredibly important for the planet’s ecosystem, so it’s vital that they’re protected.

They are currently being harmed by the effects of overfishing, bottom trawling, rising temperatures and coastal development, so projects like these may be the answer to help coral reefs.

Airbus Will Swap Seats for Cargo to Help Businesses and Trade

Airbus is already looking to swap seats for cargo in order to help airlines and global trade, which are suffering from the effects of lockdown measures everywhere. The aerospace company is developing a modification for their A330 and A350 family of aircraft to allow airlines to install freight pallets onto the cabin floor.

This is aimed at helping airlines to remain afloat and to help curtail the global shortage of cargo capacity. With the modifications, it will also be easier for medical equipment and supplies to be transported. The alterations include increased fire protection and 9G load-resistant capability, so that nothing moves while the planes are in the air.

European Springs are leading custom spring manufacturers, and we believe it’s important to stay on top of the latest industry news. You can also keep up to date with these and other items of news by checking our blog page, where we publish articles related to manufacturing and engineering on a regular basis.

Get in touch today if you’d like to learn more about our products and how we can help you remain competitive in the current global situation.

It’s fair to say that the economy is currently suffering from the preventative measures that are in place to protect people from the Covid-19 outbreak. With all non-essential businesses being asked to close, those in the retail and hospitality industry are just some of the industries being hit hard by the closures.

But when it comes to the UK manufacturing sector, the government has said that workers should go to work as normal where they cannot work from home and are healthy enough to do so. Businesses have been encouraged to observe public health guidelines in relation to maintaining a distance of at least two metres from others and continue to practice regular handwashing. In a time of crisis throughout the world, it’s been refreshing to see that there have been some fantastic bright moments within a time of darkness for so many, with many in the manufacturing industry rising to the challenge of helping to combat the virus. We have looked at just some of the ways in which industry is playing an important role.

Institute for Manufacturing in Cambridge

It has been reported that the Institute for Manufacturing in Cambridge are working with medical teams in the battle against the virus and managing the ongoing crisis. Those working in the engineering department are now concentrating their efforts on looking at the flow of patients through wards and the logistics of managing vital medical supply chains – highlighting through simulations, how a rise in patients in hospital will affect the day to day activities. Students are also focusing on the hospital’s oxygen supply, and how it might be replenished and filtered.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust Collaboration

A collaboration between Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust and Leeds University has seen modifications being made to a sleep apnoea machine being phased out of service, transforming it into a ventilator that can be used to treat those with Covid-19. The machine works in a constant positive airway pressure mode, ensuring that the pressure inside the mask is marginally raised, making it easier for them to breathe – providing enriched oxygen of between 40 to 60 per cent. With pressure building on the NHS to provide more ventilators during the coronavirus outbreak, it’s fantastic to see scientists and clinicians working alongside academics and technicians to provide valuable solutions.

Robotics Leading the Way

Developed in just over a week by the UK Dementia Research Institute, robotic technology previously used when testing for infections in vulnerable people has been repurposed to help with Covid-19 testing. With the government looking to increase tests to 100,000 before the end of the month, this is a innovative way to help towards hitting this target. Each robotic module is able to produce just short of 1,000 coronavirus samples in a 12-hour period. The platform is currently being accredited, and last week was already being utilised within two hospitals in London, which have one robotic module each.

The hi-technology material handing process by robotics system tube bending process. The hi-technology automotive parts manufacturing process control by computer system.

European Springs Helping to Battle Covid-19

Here at European Springs & Pressings, we are playing our part in the fight against Covid-19. Alongside many others within the manufacturing industry, we have been on call to provide vital equipment to the healthcare sector – meeting additional demand from our customers, some of whom are working around the clock.

As a team, we are already used to dealing with huge orders for our diverse range of clients – so we were more than happy to step up production on the orders needed for the medical sector. And quickly! Prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, European Springs & Pressings were supplying around 6,000 parts a year to a manufacturer responsible for creating ventilators for critically ill patients.

In recent weeks, we have seen this rise to 29,000 parts. Another ventilator manufacturer we work with also increased its order from 9,000 for the whole of 2019, to 24,000 parts to be delivered in just April and May this year. On top of this, we have also been supplying vital parts to a customer in the healthcare sector, which makes filters for breathing apparatus.

Recently, their order has upped from 600,000 parts a year to one million. Other work prompted by the coronavirus outbreak has included a request from manufacturers in the USA and Poland for 12,500 springs to be used in protective visors and 60,000 parts for a UK firm which make safety valves for use during patient incubations. We understand the critical – and important – nature of the work that our clients are carrying out, which is why we have been helping customers by turning out samples for new products within days. Whilst many projects within the industry may currently be on hold, we’re proud to be playing a part in doing everything we can to get through the current pandemic.

In such uncertain times, it’s amazing to see the industry step up and play a part in the crisis, after all, we are all in it together. If you’re struggling to source metal components for your important healthcare projects, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

From springs that go into the mouthpieces for ventilators to catheter clips to syringe drivers, patient beds and trolley systems, instrumentation and numerous electrical components for medical technologies including defibrillators, European Springs & Pressings is proud to play a key part in the supply chain for a number of medical equipment manufacturers.

Stuart McSheehy, Managing Director of the Beckenham factory says: “We have developed tooling and manufactured medical components for the healthcare sector for decades but today’s climate and subsequent increase in demand has highlighted the market share with which we and our customers operate in.

We manufacture springs, pressings and gas struts for engineering companies and subcontractors across a broad spectrum of the healthcare industry. Requests for rapid turnaround times has made us see the fuller picture and resulted in us operating new production schedules to meet demand.”

With 1 million mouthpiece springs taking approximately 125 machine hours to manufacture and other product lines in the tens of thousands, the advanced design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities across European Springs & Pressings factories, from London to Cornwall, are working together to help combat today’s public health emergency.

McSheehy concludes: “We manufacture the largest range of springs and pressings in the UK and have some of the most advanced high-volume machinery available. At peak, our machines can manufacture 5 million springs an hour and we have repurposed and upscaled specific production lines to manage orders.

Normally validation as a new supplier takes months of trials before volume production but in this very abnormal period we’ve been fast-tracking processes to suit our customers and are beyond proud to be able to play a supportive role in today’s climate.”

Category: News & Updates