Category: News & Updates

It’s been a hectic few months within the manufacturing industry, from Industry 4.0 continuing the push towards the digitalisation of the industry to the uncertainty that Brexit brings with it.

In this article, we will share our take on some of the top stories coming out of manufacturing in the past few months.

UK Manufacturing Growth in September 2018

It’s fair to say that UK manufacturing has faltered in the past 10 months due to the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, but September of 2018 saw a stronger growth within the industry than previously forecast.

The growth came thanks to rebuilding inventories, efforts to clear backlogs of work and inflows of new business into UK manufacturing businesses.

The IHS Markit purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose to 53.8 in September, compared to 53 in August 2018, with any reading above 50 indicating expansion.

Rob Dobson, director at IHS Markit, said: “September saw a mild improvement in the performance of the UK manufacturing sector. Domestic market demand strengthened, while increased orders from North America and Europe helped new export business stage a modest recovery from August’s contraction. Business confidence also rose to a three-month high.”

This can only be seen as very welcome news after the trials and tribulations that 2018 has brought with it thus far. Here at European Springs, we are confident, that the industry will continue to grow into 2019.

Industry 4.0 Continues to Grow

The ‘fourth industrial revolution’ is well and truly underway; Industry 4.0 is certainly here to stay, and strides have been made throughout this year to further solidify its status. The digitalisation of manufacturing is long overdue, and Industry 4.0’s focus on interconnecting all machines within a factory through the Internet of Things is helping to propel this modernisation forward. Enabling all machines to communicate with each other and learn from their own mistakes has led to more efficient workflow within many factories.

The growth of Industry 4.0 in the past few months has led to many firms increasing productivity and relying less on human workers at a factory level, freeing up more time and resources for focusing on other concerns, such as creating new products and increasing efficiencies further.

As the digitalisation of engineering continues to accelerate in 2019, we expect Industry 4.0 to be equally as important, if not more so. Expect to see the market grow exponentially in the coming years, as more streamlined processes are implemented within the industry.

China’s 55km Mega-Bridge

A truly incredible engineering feat, China’s mega-bridge spans an impressive 55 kilometres (34 miles) and connects Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland cities of Macau and Zhuhai, making it the world’s longest sea crossing. The bridge took over 9 years to construct, cost around £15.3 billion to build and is designed to withstand earthquakes and typhoons.

The bridge was officially opened on 23^rd October 2018 by Chinese President Xi Jinping, alongside leading officials from both Hong Kong and Macau.

As part of a scheme connecting China’s tech hubs, the mega-bridge will be primarily used by freight vehicles and shuttle buses, with private vehicles requiring a permit to cross.

Brexit

There’s no escaping it; Brexit has dominated the news both within the industry and on a wider scale across the entire UK. Whilst the intricacies of Brexit are still largely an unknown, there is no denying the fact that many companies within the UK are taking preventative measures as they prepare for Brexit, regardless of the deal the UK get from the EU.

In the coming months, we should hopefully know more about how Brexit will affect the manufacturing industry. But whilst the current outlook post-Brexit is undeniably bleak, we are confident that the UK manufacturing industry will recover over the coming years, thanks to the determination of each and every person who works within the sector.

These are just a few of our top picks from the very latest news coming out of the manufacturing industry over the last few months. As spring manufacturers, we are keen on keeping a close eye on all of the very latest news within the industry; be sure to check back in soon for another look at the most up-to-date news within manufacturing.

There are many spectacular women in the field of engineering, but with females making up less than 10% of the engineering workforce at the start of 2018, it’s clear to see that changes have to be made to close the gender gap within the industry.

Here, we take a look at some of the top female engineers within the industry, who have had truly incredible careers.

Jocelyn Goldfein

Jocelyn Goldfein has held many senior engineering roles throughout her professional career, including Director of Engineering at Facebook and Vice President at VMware. She holds a BS in Computer Science from the prestigious Stanford University, and since graduating in 1997 has completely transformed engineering in the technology industry.

VMware

Jocelyn Goldfein worked at VMware for an extended period of time, beginning her employment in 2003. She was initially given the responsibility of building core virtualisation technology and contributed to the company’s remarkable growth in revenue.

While working for VMware, Goldfein was given more and more engineering responsibilities, which included the development of desktop and developer products. Her hard work led to her becoming Vice President of the company, and in this role, she helped the company reach even higher levels of success.

Facebook

Goldfein worked as the Director of Engineering at social media giant Facebook for over four years, helping to further develop certain aspects of the networking site, as well as helping it move forward to the next generation of technology.

While at Facebook, Goldfein led the company’s push on mobile infrastructure, using her engineering skills as well as her computer science knowledge to develop apps and revolutionise the site in a way that made it easier for people to use on the go.

Goldfein also launched major new product initiatives during her time at Facebook, all of which continue to be used by millions of people all over the world every day. These product initiatives include News Feed, Search and Photos. Goldfein managed these projects alongside her strategic engineering operational initiatives, which included major changes to Facebook’s technical recruiting strategies.

Inspiring Women/Today

Goldfein is now Managing Director at Zetta Venture Partners, a company who lead funding rounds for start-ups applying AI to solve business problems. Alongside this role, she is also an active public speaker, with a particular focus on inspiring young women to enter the field of engineering.

In 2017, Goldfein was named in Business Insider’s list of 43 Most Powerful Female Engineers – she came in at position number 9.

Lisa Perez Jackson

Lisa Perez Jackson is a chemical engineer, and in 2008 she became the first African American to be the head of the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a role she held until 2013. She is now the Environmental Director at Apple Inc.

Early Life

Jackson was born on 8th February 1962 in Philadelphia and adopted at two weeks’ old by Benjamin Perez, a postal worker, and his wife Marie, who was a secretary.

Jackson grew up in a middle-class suburb of New Orleans, and although her immediate world didn’t surround her with the poverty and environmental issues that gripped other parts of the city, she was still well aware of the adversity that these people faced. This awareness is recognised as one of the factors that contributed to Jackson’s passion for the environment in later life.

She attended St. Mary’s Dominican High School, an all-girls’ Catholic institution, she proceeded to attend Tulane University, where she studied chemical engineering.

Jackson graduated in 1983 and went on to do a master’s degree at Princeton University. Following her graduation, she focused on working for non-profit environmental organisations until moving into more advanced positions for the US government.

Professional Career

Lisa Perez Jackson joined the EPA in 1987 as a staff-level engineer, working on remediation programs, waste clean-up regulations and overseeing hazardous waste clean-up projects throughout central New Jersey. She later served as the deputy director and acting director of the EPA’s regional enforcement division.

Jackson worked for the EPA for 16 years, then moving on to join the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) as assistant commissioner of compliance and enforcement in 2002. In this role, she headed up many campaigns to improve the local environment and was highly praised by many environmentalists.

After an incredible career, Jackson was nominated by President Obama to become the Administrator of the EPA. In this role, she pledged to focus on air and water quality and limiting greenhouse gases, using her understanding of chemical engineering and her past experience to introduce many new ideas and plans to the position. Jackson stepped down from the role on 15th February 2013 and took up a role with Apple to oversee environmental issues for the company. In 2015 she was promoted to vice president of environment at Apple.

Marissa Mayer

Marissa Mayer is an American engineer, business leader and computer programmer, and former CEO of Yahoo!. In 2014 she was ranked as the 16th most powerful woman in the world by Fortune Magazine and was in America’s 40 Under 40 in the same publication.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEcQrILxTlc

Early Life

Mayer was born in Wisconsin on 30th May 1975 as the daughter of an engineer and an art teacher. She enjoyed a small-town childhood, where she was involved in many different activities.

Mayer had always aspired to be a doctor; however, while at Stanford University she discovered her passion for computer science. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science, specialising in symbolic systems, and an MSc in Computer Science, specialising in artificial intelligence.

She then went on to undertake research internships at SRI International and at the UBS research laboratory in Zurich. Her hard work and success led to her receiving 14 job offers as soon as she had finished her postgraduate degree.

Professional Career

Mayer went on to work at Google, with her job offer coming directly from founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Mayer led Google’s user interface and web server teams and contributed largely to the company’s success as their 20th employee and first female engineer.

During her time at Google, she worked on some of the company’s most used web tools, including Google Maps, Street View and Gmail. She was also responsible for approving all of the Google ‘doodles’.

After more than a decade working for Google, she was appointed CEO of Yahoo! in July 2012, and helped turn the company around by changing course and slowly battling falling stock prices. In 2017 Mayer announced her resignation from Yahoo! to start a new project with an old colleague, Enrique Munoz Torres. The pair started up Lumi Labs, a business focusing on artificial intelligence and consumer media.

As spring manufacturers, we always have our finger on the pulse of the engineering industry. So be sure to check in each month to keep up to date with the latest engineering news.

We spend a lot of time looking at the most exciting updates from the world of engineering – the new inventions and innovative solutions which are making waves within engineering circles. However, we also like to think about the bigger issues within our industry – and one of those, of course, is the question of who will take up the mantle and ensure that these crucial developments continue into the next generation and beyond.

Luckily, we are constantly seeing evidence that the next generation is full of budding young thinkers who are more than ready to rise to the challenge and pioneer their own advances in engineering. So how do we inspire our children and ensure that this passion is encouraged?

Introduce Construction Toys at Play Time

If you’re looking to start tapping into your children’s engineering spirit from a really young age, you could introduce construction toys into your child’s daily play time. For slightly older children try origami; this can be invaluable when it comes to developing skills of creativity, inventiveness and problem solving. Best of all, it’s incredibly fun, so long as you don’t impose limits on what should or shouldn’t be created. Instead, children who are encouraged to see their imagination as the only boundary will naturally learn to push to make new things possible.

Encourage ‘What If’ and ‘Why’ Questions

Almost every young person loves to fire a relentless barrage of questions at their parents, and many of us are guilty of offering overly simplified answers rather than encouraging them to explore their questions further and even research the answers for themselves.

Young people who are curious about their world can ask some pretty tough questions, and its fine not to know the answers. However, if you decide to treat these occasions as opportunities for shared learning, you’ll encourage them to continue looking for answers about the world – the engineering mindset!

Of course, there’s nothing worse than pushing young people into an occupation which they’re just not interested in; we’re certainly not suggesting that engineering is the only valuable route to take. However, if children have a natural enthusiasm for problem-solving and construction, then encouraging them will definitely help to keep these interests alive.

Increase Awareness of Engineering

A career in engineering can be for anyone if the right practical and problem-solving skills are developed from an early age. If a young person is looking to pursue a career in engineering, it’s critical they aren’t deterred from this, simply because they aren’t seen to be academically achieving the highest grades in their class.

In engineering, employers are always on the look out for young people with the right types of knowledge and skills that can be moulded over time. No one is expecting a young person to possess all the necessary skills straight out of school; as long as there is a foundation to build upon and a willingness to learn, you have every chance of securing your dream job in engineering.

Apprenticeships

Gaining hands-on experience in engineering is absolutely vital. If a young person is interested in taking up a career in engineering, then apprenticeships are one of the best ways to get into the industry. Not only will you get paid whilst learning, you’ll get real hands-on experience in how engineering works. Whilst learning about how engineering works from the classroom is great, nothing beats learning on the job.

In recent years the amount of apprenticeships within a whole host of industries has increased hugely, as employers are finding it more difficult to hire competent young people in trade sectors. If you prove your worth during your apprenticeship, the company you carried out your training with may well offer you a full-time position upon completion of your training. It’s hardly surprisingly that the number of such apprenticeships are on the rise, with so many talented young people gaining workplace skills that can set them up for life-long careers in their chosen sector.

We’re always looking out for the next great minds who may become the spring manufacturers, engineers or innovators of the future, so it’s fantastic to have the opportunity to share these tips and ensure that young people are being encouraged to question and expand their practical skills.

We at European Springs Ireland are excited to announce that we will be attending Medical Technology Ireland; a high-profile event which is helping attract global suppliers to the Irish Medical Device Industry. This year’s event has drawn in over 200 exhibitors and will feature presentations from leading international medical device experts.

But what exactly happens at Medical Technology Ireland? And how can a company like ours benefit from attending? More importantly, why should you attend? Here’s a quick look at what this event has to offer.

Medical Technology Ireland

Medical Technology Ireland is an event showcasing the latest technological developments from the world of medicine right here in Ireland. Over two days, products and solutions for the Irish medical technology design and manufacturing industry will be on display, with expert talks, interactive demonstrations and key-note speakers all making up the jam-packed schedule.

Taking place on the 26^th and 27^th September in Galway, this exciting event features over 200 exhibitors, promising a high-level conference with potentially fascinating new initiatives. This two-day conference features a host of exciting activities, from medical experts giving informative speeches, to on-stage interviews with professional executives.

What Does the Event Entail?

With over 1,500 attendees, there is much to be expected from this event, including over 30 hours of informative content to educate businesses and ultimately assist them with their development. Day one of the event features a number of fascinating talks regarding relevant subjects within the world of manufacturing, from The Future of 3D Printing to Current Challenges and Opportunities in the Irish MedTech Landscape.

The excitement continues on the second day, where some of the interesting seminars include Smart Technologies for Medical Device Manufacturers to Man & Machine – The Five Stages of Man/Robot Collaboration. The first day of the event focuses heavily on the medical industry, with the second day looking more at the manufacturing side of the latest in medical technology.

There is a diverse range of professions from all over the world visiting this fantastic event, including product design engineers, consultants and research developers. This is not only your chance to learn from experts in the field of medical technology, but it is also a way for you to gain potential customers and connections. From these interesting talks, we can broaden our own knowledge, as we communicate with a vast array of individuals who share the same passion for excellence.

The event has been met with tremendous success; reviews from previous years include:

 ‘’The show has all the hallmarks of being Ireland’s premier event…we will be back!’’

 ‘’We found this year’s Medical Technology Ireland exhibition at the Galway Racecourse to be a very positive event, with a high footfall and high level of visitors…this event will be a major contribution to our growth in the Irish MedTech market.’’

 ‘’The show exceeded our expectations with many new contacts made and subsequent good quality new business enquiries have been received. The show allowed us to raise our profile amongst the key players in the Irish Medical Sector.’’

Whether a company in the industry or even an individual wanting to increase your knowledge of this fascinating sector, there is much to be learned from the two-day event.

Don’t Forget to Come and See European Springs

Events like this are an amazing opportunity for those within the industry to raise their profile whilst learning a great deal from the experts. As spring manufacturers, we at European Springs Ireland work closely with the medical industry, providing high-quality springs for a wide range of life-saving and highly sophisticated medical equipment.

For businesses who have the opportunity to attend events like this, it is greatly important to do so, as it can help your business progress, giving you the chance to widen your connections and learn about the latest innovations. We are excited for the Medical Technology Ireland to begin.

For more information on the event, take a look at their website here: Medical Technology Ireland.

Since the UK voted to leave, Brexit has been an inevitable topic of conversation across numerous industries. With a disconcerting degree of uncertainty in what the future holds for various business sectors, many within the manufacturing industry are wondering how it will affect daily operations.

Manufacturing contributes greatly to the UK’s gross domestic product, accounting for 5% of businesses and contributing £169 billion – that’s almost 10% of the UK economy! Although Brexit will undoubtedly impact manufacturing, is it possible to predict exactly how much?

Here are some of the predicted changes, as well as a look at how the manufacturing industry is already being impacted.

What Does Brexit Mean?

Simply put, Brexit is the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union. It has been two years since the UK voted to leave the EU, with the official date of commencement proceedings scheduled for 29^th March 2019.

As 55% of our imported goods are traded with the EU, the move will have a considerable impact on the UK economy.

Over the last several months, terms such as a ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ Brexit have been bandied about in the media. In its simplest form, a soft Brexit means that the UK will continue to have close ties with the EU. Even after leaving the customs union, we would still remain in the single market, retaining the free trade agreement (FTA), similar to what Norway has.

Hard Brexit, on the other hand, means that the UK will move further away from the EU, and will cut all main ties with the European Union, making any trade deals much more unlikely, if available at all.

The Changes So Far

Changes are to be expected across all industries.

In May 2017, the UK became bottom of the G7 Growth League, where we registered a growth of just 0.2%.

On the other hand, there have also been positive changes since the landmark vote happened. Whereas many assumed that the worst scenarios would hit the UK immediately, in actual fact the opposite happened, with the UK economy estimated to have grown 1.8% in 2016.

This, unfortunately, does not appear to be the case in the automotive industry, where uncertainty about Brexit has already put thousands of jobs at risk, making them one of the most vulnerable industrial sectors. One of the main reasons behind this is that investors are now choosing to go elsewhere in Europe due to increased costs.

How Will this Affect the Manufacturing Industry?

Research suggests that the impact of Brexit within the UK could trigger a downward spiral in UK GDP growth. On the other hand, many believe Brexit will make UK manufacturing more profitable. EU membership is a beneficial factor, with prices of manufacturers in the UK domestic market falling by 20%. This would increase competition which in turn would push productivity higher across the economy.

There are further positive factors to consider once Brexit takes effect. The UK will no longer be constrained by existing regulations, after leaving the EU. This means the UK may have more freedom in the market, gaining potentially better tariffs for trade, which could ultimately help boost manufacturing.

Although this is a tough time for the UK manufacturing industry as it prepares for change, it’s important to remember that we have already seen some of the positive benefits of Brexit.

As spring manufacturers, we at European Springs Ireland believe that we can continue to be one of the leading figures in the field of springs and high-speed press technology. Although it is uncertain what the future holds for the UK manufacturing industry, there are still numerous opportunities for the UK to move forward.

If you would like to find out more about our products and services, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today, and we will be happy to help.