The week is Manufacturing & Engineering Week, and is set to be a special time in the UK manufacturing sector’s annual events calendar. This year, the event culminates in a series of concurrent free two-day events on 7^th and 8th June to be held at the NEC Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, in which industry thought leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs will meet to map out the future of the manufacturing and engineering sector.

In March 2023, Make UK published a key report, ‘No Weak Links: Building Supply Chain Resilience’, which laid bare the soaring pressure on supply chains that is resulting in long lead times and rising prices. The severe disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic persuaded many manufacturing businesses that their supply chains needed to become more sustainable, resilient, and collaborative to protect themselves against global instability.

The UK’s manufacturing industry plays a crucial role in driving economic growth, innovation, and job creation. Consequently, the development of a robust industrial strategy for manufacturing is imperative, to lay the foundations for a thriving sector and ensure its competitiveness on a global scale. 

According to research, 99 per cent of manufacturers believe that the UK should have a clear industrial strategy.

If your manufacturing business isn’t achieving optimum efficiency and productivity, now is the time to give serious thought to how you can transform its operations in 2023. Manufacturing efficiency ensures that you can produce as many products as possible in the shortest possible time, without compromising on quality. This enables you to achieve higher profits and unlock business growth by pitching your products and services at a more attractive price point.

Performance in the automotive industry is more important than ever before with the advent of new technologies and a growing awareness of the need for more economical consumption of fuel amid a worsening climate crisis. Better performing engines depend on effective honing to create highly functional surfaces on components, making it one of the most important processes in engine manufacturing.

Customer satisfaction is all-important, especially in the days of social media, where poor service can severely impact brand reputations among B2B manufacturers. When considering customer satisfaction, it's common to look at front-end factors like service, personalisation, and convenience. Basics like value for money, availability, lead-time, and quality are also essential.

However, customer satisfaction can be driven by mechanisms largely invisible to the end client.

If there’s one thing thatmanufacturers should have learned in recent years, it’s to expect the unexpected. Brexit, the global pandemic, and the Ukraine war have caused economic turmoil that has posed major challenges for the manufacturing industry, least not the supply of raw materials and key commodities required for efficient and resilient production supply.

CNC turning combines long-established machining principles with cutting-edge Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technology, to deliver outstanding and consistently reliable results. Many businesses find it more cost effective to outsource some or all of their CNC turning requirements to an experienced precision machining provider, such as Hone-All.

The global pandemic had far-reaching effects for manufacturing businesses, not just in the UK, but worldwide. Supply chains proved to be more fragile than had been judged, particularly for businesses obtaining services, materials, or parts from the Far East.

CNC machining is a complex process that requires careful consideration of the final project parameters and the materials being used. Different metals and polymers require different tools and techniques to achieve the best results, which can have an impact on both your project costs and timescale, and the quality of the finished components. With this in mind, it is essential to understand how to pick the best material for the application.