FB Intro 30/09/2022

Good morning and welcome to this week’s Friday Brief.

We start this week with news that the MTA and EIA are forming a UK Pavilion at the next FITMA exhibition in Mexico. Negotiations towards a new Free Trade Agreement (UK Mexico Trade Community Agreement), has commenced with the object to conclude negotiations within two years and we have seen this market grow in interest for members. Find our more about this exclusive offer we’ve put together with the organisers in the story below.

On the theme of overseas exhibitions, JIMTOF is on the horizon and there has been a temporary suspension in Japanese visas. Find out more below and if you’re going to the show don’t forget to let us know!

The MTA and EIA supported an India-UK Virtual Trade Mission this week in cooperation with the Department for International Trade in India is week. Following the event, a list of Indian companies looking to partner with the UK has been produced so take a look below if you’re interested.

This week also saw the release of the updated MTA Basic Facts. You can view and download a copy from the story below.

This week we have a new British Standard available to members on “Industrial automation systems and integration”. Find out how to access it, and other standard free of charge, below.

We also have another free publication for you, this time from our Associate Member LMAC to help companies understand how to tackle challenges in productivity quickly using available digital solutions. Find our more as well as access the guide in the story below.

Jack Semple, Secretary of EAMA (of which MTA is a member) has noted some highlights for the manufacturing sector from this week’s Labour Party Conference including their plans for a sovereign wealth fund (similar to Norway’s), the creation of Great British Energy (like EDF – Électricité de France) and plans for a new industrial strategy. Take a look at the article for a summary of these points.

The government has accelerated its Retained EU Law Bill – also known as the Brexit Freedoms Bill – and Jack Semple, Secretary of EAMA, has taken a look at what it does and the likely implications for UK manufacturing and what we can expect in the way of consultation in a piece that you can read below.

The automotive industry is going green and we’re all a part of the solution. By giving 10 minutes of your time to complete this short survey from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), you can help shape the future of UK R&D support and funding.

Innovate UK is investing up to £25 million in the best game-changing, and world leading ideas, designed for swift, successful commercialisation. Ideas need to be genuinely new and novel, not just disruptive within their sector. The closing date is Wednesday 26 October 2022 11:00am and more information can be found in the story below.

It has been a relatively quiet week for economic data with only a couple of things to report in our economic news article this week (and one of those had been held over while we completed the analysis). The Economic Sentiment Indicator from the European Commission fell sharply with the gloom spread across all of the elements in their survey – industry, services, construction, retail trade, consumers and financial services (although the last of these is not part of the ESI). Similarly, all of the major economies saw sentiment decline in the latest data. Our other report in this article covers the UK’s trade data by industry; this highlights the importance of the Engineering industries to the UK’s trade position as they account for almost half of total manufacturing exports. Unfortunately, the latest data shows another large trade deficit, with only the aerospace industry bucking this trend with a surplus.

That’s all for this week’s bumper Friday Brief. Have a great weekend and we’ll ‘see’ you again next Friday!

The International Expo of Technology and Manufacturing for Latin America

The International Expo of Technology and Manufacturing for Latin America 20 – 22 June 2023, Centre Citibanamex, Mexico City, Mexico Exhibitor Profile: Machine Tools/Capital Equipment; Cutting Tools; Workholding and Handling; Machine Components & Accessories; Robotics and Automation; Additive Manufacturing Equipment; CAD/CAM and Manufacturing Software; Inspection and Measurement Equipment; Forming & Fabricating Equipment; Finishing and Coating Equipment. The […]

Guide to using digital manufacturing principles to solve the current challenges for SMEs?

SMEs are battling numerous headwinds including rising costs and a lack of skilled resources. The answer to these challenges is to increase your productivity. This free guide has been developed by MTA Associate Member, LMAC in collaboration with EAMA and the MTA to help companies understand how this can be achieved quickly using available digital […]

Help shape the future of UK automotive R&D funding

Innovate UK SMART Grants

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is investing up to £25 million in the best game-changing, and world leading ideas, designed for swift, successful commercialisation. Ideas need to be genuinely new and novel, not just disruptive within their sector. Your proposal must be business focused, with deliverable, realistic, adequately resourced plans to achieve […]

Are you attending JIMTOF?

The Japanese government has announced that short-term visitors to Japan from overseas will be exempted from obtaining visas and ERFS from October 11, 2022. This means Members will not need to obtain a visa or ERFS to visit JIMTOF2022. Application for Visa for foreign nationals eligible for Phased Measures toward Resuming Cross-Border Travel | Ministry […]

Brexit Freedoms Bill

The government has brought forward the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, which it calls the Brexit Freedoms Bill in more polemical communications. The intention is that passes into law by Christmas. The Bill will allow for amending, repealing or replacing most of these retained laws through the quick and easy mechanism of statutory […]

New standard available “Industrial automation systems and integration”

The AMT/4 “Industrial data and manufacturing interfaces” BSI committee confirmed that the following Standard has been published and is available to view on BSOL. You can log into BSOL here: Take me to BSOL BS ISO 22745-1:2010 Industrial automation systems and integration. Open technical dictionaries and their application to master data. Overview and fundamental principles […]

MTA Basic Facts 2022

The 2022 edition of the MTA Basic Facts, which summarises the data for the manufacturing technology sector in the UK, has just been published. This edition has the figures up to 2021 and focuses on the four elements of the sector for which published data is readily available – machine tools, cutting tools, tool/work-holding equipment […]

India-UK Virtual Trade Mission

The MTA and EIA supported an India-UK Virtual Trade Mission this week in cooperation with the Department for International Trade in India is week. This was their second Virtual Mission to India, building on the successful engagement last year. Following the event, a list of Indian companies looking to partner with the UK has been […]

Highlights from the Labour Party Conference

Jack Semple, Secretary of the Engineering & Machinery Alliance (EAMA) has sent us this summary of the discussions and presentations at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool this week. His top item is the pledge by Rachel Reeves (Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer) to set up a sovereign wealth fund, and to “use all powers […]

ECONOMIC NEWS

European Commission Economic Sentiment Indicator, September 2022: The European Commission (EC) draws from a range of surveys to construct confidence indicators for six sectors of the economy and then uses five of these (financial services is not part of the calculation) to make up its Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI). After the more moderate fall in […]

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