continued from page 15
technologies to a diverse range of industries
using its capabilities in mechanical engineering and precision
manufacturing .
Other speakers are Lawrence Davies,
Deputy CEO of UK Trade International
(UKTI) for the Automotive Supply Chain and
Geraint Castleton-White, Head of
Operations at Lotus Lightweight Structures.
UKTI will play a major role in meeting David
Cameron's pledge to make the UK "the reshore
nation". With automotive one of the
target sectors, Mr Davies is in a position to
throw light on how the expertises and quality of the UK manufacturing sector - and
automotive as a good example - is being
promoted overseas.
It was in a speech to the World Economic
Forum in Davos in January that the Prime
Minister said the Government is determined to
build on the trend where production once offshored
is now coming back from East to West.
"Part of the story is about rising costs in the
emerging markets, a natural consequence of
16
GTMA
SUPPLY CHAIN NEWS these economies developing and their people becoming wealthier,"
he told delegates.
"At the same time, there are a number of
factors pulling companies back home. Some
companies are choosing to locate production nearer
to their consumer markets in the
West. By shortening their supply chains, they
can develop new products and react more
quickly to changing consumer demand."
The returning firms include the model train
manufacturer Hornby, which is bringing
some manufacturing from India to Britain;
food manufacturer Symingtons (China to
Leeds); Raspberry Pi computers (switching
production to Wales); Jaeger (10 per cent of
its production to Britain) and Vent Axia
(China to Crawley).
"His words echo what we have found in the
GTMA," says Julia Moore. "Our members
are reporting growing dissatisfaction about
outsourcing and increasing interest in placing work back in the UK."
Free registration for the event, where there is
free parking, restaurants and light lunch, on
the websiite. Visitors attending last year included Airbus, Jaguar Land Rover,
Kawasaki,
Rolls-Royce, Cosworth Group and Dyson.
• Work has already started on the special
Reshoring Briefing publication and if you
want your company's achievements highlighted please email Colin Swindells on
colin.swindells@tiscali.co.ukls" target="_blank" title="Visit colin.swindells">colin.swindells@tiscali.co.uk
TOP 3 REASONS
THEY COME HOME
A survey by the Manufacturing Advisory
Service (MAS) shows that companies
cite costs, quality and reducing lead
times as the top three reasons for moving production
back to the UK.
The new Government campaign will also
trumpet a strong and stable economy,
competitive corporate tax rates, a good
regulatory environment, strong legal
frameworks and a dynamic labour market.
Autodesk Inc. completed its acquisition of
Delcam, one of the world's leading suppliers of advanced computer-aided
manufacturing (CAM) software,
on February 6.
Delcam will operate as a wholly-owned,
independently-operated subsidiary of
Autodesk, with no significant changes
planned for Delcam's business.
"Autodesk brings to Delcam increased financial
strength, unparalleled expertise in design, and
a long history of making technology accessible
to broad audiences. Through sharing our
technology and expertise, this transaction will
transform industries and improve how the
world is designed and made," said Delcam's
Chief Executive, Clive Martell.
"By maintaining the basic structure of
Delcam's business, Autodesk is reflecting its
trust in, and respect for, Delcam's solutions,
leadership and organisation. We are excited
to come together and further the vision,
development and implementation of technology for digital manufacturing."
"The acquisition of Delcam is an important
step in Autodesk's continued expansion into
manufacturing and fabrication and beyond
our roots in design," said Buzz Kross, senior vice president
for Design, Lifecycle and
Simulation products.
"Together with Delcam, we look forward to
accelerating the development of a more comprehensive
Digital Prototyping solution and
delivering a better manufacturing experience.
We welcome the Delcam employees, customers, partners and community to Autodesk."
An exciting development for digital manufacturing:
Pictured, centre, Carl Bass, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Autodesk with (left to right)
Glenn McMinn, President, Delcam North America;
Clive Martell, Chief Executive, Delcam; Steve
Hobbs, Development Director, Delcam; and Bart
Simpson, Commercial Director, Delcam.
Supplier GTW Developments is a
world leader in developing slicers
for composites used in advanced
engineering applications in sectors
including aerospace, automotive
and wind turbine blades.
Its Airbond product has already shown
the way in the glass and fibre business,
with its class-leading 110, 113 and 114
splicers. Now its latest patented technology is set to transform the business.
The 701 moves standards up a gear
and is even simpler and more versatile
than its old ones, joining a huge range
of counts in modern fibres. It is also
lighter, handier and quicker to maintain.
It represents a leap forward in design,
out-performing all others in one simple, elegant package. Strengths
of 90
per cent of the parent yarn are easily
attainable, in the widest range of
counts ever. GTW won a Queen's
Award for Enterprise Innovation in
2013.
Autodesk completes
acquisition of Delcam
NEW AIRBOND
PRODUCT FOR
COMPOSITES