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Home••The Friday Roundup – 30/11/2018

The Friday Roundup – 30/11/2018

Every Friday, we round up our top 5 most popular reads from the week, along with sharing some of our favourite finds from around the web.

This week’s roundup sees JCB secure a multi-million pound Travis Perkins order, Dowty Propellers breaks ground in Gloucester, plus what will the world look like in 2050? Four experts predict what life will be like 30 years from now…

Our top 5 most read this week

1. Aircraft deliveries remain strong for record breaking year

A total of 1,221 aircraft were delivered by the end of October 2018, continuing the best year for deliveries to date, worth up to £23 billion to the UK. October itself saw record deliveries of 138 aircraft, four more than last year. Single-aisle aircraft deliveries are boosting overall numbers with both strong demand – 77 single-aisle aircraft ordered in October – and production – 112 single-aisle aircraft delivered. The backlog for aircraft remains high at 14,124 by the end of October, worth a potential £217 billion to the UK in the coming years. 2018 is also the best year to date for engine deliveries, with 2,466 delivered so far, but increased production levels have still struggled to meet demand contributing to the second highest ever backlog of 26,212, just behind July’s record of 26,224. ADS Chief Executive, Paul Everitt, said: “The UK aerospace industry continues to benefit from record levels of new aircraft and engine production. Demand for modern, fuel efficient aircraft remains strong and the global industry is on track for all time high production rates. It is important for aerospace businesses in UK and mainland Europe that the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement and a transition period are confirmed, so companies can prepare for the new trading relationship.”
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2. JCB secures multi-million-pound Travis Perkins order

One of the UK’s largest builder’s merchants has invested in 500 new JCB machines worth more than £7 million for its tool hire division. Travis Perkins has bought a fleet of JCB mini excavators and one tonne High Tip site dumpers to further strengthen its UK-wide tool hire business. This brings the company’s investment to more than 2,700 JCB machines in the past decade. Supplied by JCB dealer, Watling JCB, the new machines have been delivered to Travis Perkins’ vast network of 660 branches ready for use on construction and development sites across the country. The one tonne High Tip dumpers are part of a full line up of JCB site dumpers manufactured at JCB World Headquarters, Rocester, while the mini excavators are produced at JCB Compact Products, Cheadle, Staffordshire.
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3. £25m investment to create & secure 1,750 automotive jobs

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark MP, has announced further support for the research and development of low carbon vehicle technologies in the UK through a grant investment of £25 million – which will help build the future of two major UK automotive facilities, creating and safeguarding a total of 1,750 UK jobs in the automotive industry. Invested through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), the funding will enable three R&D projects run by Jaguar Land Rover, Ford Motor Company and Arcola Energy to drive forward the development of innovative low carbon propulsion technologies and their supply chains. Since the APC was established in 2013, it has invested in 44 UK-based projects collectively valued at £770 million, including £368 million worth of grants. In total, the projects will help to save 42.7 million tonnes of CO2 – equivalent to 2.4 million cars off the road – and to create or safeguard over 25,000 UK jobs. Ian Constance, Chief Executive of the APC, said: “The development of low carbon vehicle technology is a crucial part of the future success of the UK automotive industry. The 11th instalment of APC funding, and the innovations it will support, will help further establish the UK as a leading destination for the development of low carbon propulsion technology allowing us to remain competitive, creating and safeguarding UK employment.”
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4. Work starts on new Dowty Propellers manufacturing facility

Dowty Propellers, a manufacturer of aircraft propeller systems for both civil and military applications, has broken ground on its new manufacturing facility in Gloucestershire. The facility in Hucclecote will be the new business headquarters as well as the production and repair facility for Dowty employees in the UK, who are currently working out of interim facilities in the Gloucestershire area. The facility will incorporate the latest ‘Brilliant Factory’ technology which equips machines with sensors, allowing data to be analysed in real time. The site is expected to be operationally ready by the end of 2019. In 2017, Dowty Propellers announced its commitment to continue operations in the Gloucester area following a fire that destroyed its operating headquarters and blade manufacturing facility in February 2015. Dowty President, Oliver Towers, said: “Our investment in the new facility demonstrates our commitment to the future of Dowty Propellers and the future potential of our people and products. We’ve built a strong heritage in the area and are proud that we are continuing our history of working in Gloucester. This new facility will allow us to operate in a bespoke environment that ensures we continue our position as a world leader in the design, development, manufacture and support of electronically controlled, all-composite propeller systems.”
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5. Winners of National Manufacturing Photography awards revealed

Gifted photographers from across the country picked up honours in EEF’s National Manufacturing Photography Awards at an exclusive Westminster ceremony. The competition, which is sponsored by Liberty House Group and in partnership with the GREAT Campaign, is now in its 9th year and seeks creative images that capture the essence of modern manufacturing. Photographs can portray any stage of manufacturing – from design, process and technology in action through to the finished product – and can cover traditional or high-tech sectors. Winners were split into the categories of young, amateur and professional photographers, and this year’s spectacular photographs can be viewed on the link below:
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Our favourite #GBmfg & #UKmfg tweets of the week

Recommendation roundup

Our picks of the best manufacturing and business related content that caught our attention this week.

1. The five challenges facing Unilever’s new CEO / via @MarketingWeekEd

As Unilever’s CEO, Paul Polman, retires after a decade at the helm, all eyes will now turn to his successor, Alan Jope, who most recently headed up its beauty and personal care business. He will need to navigate economic and political uncertainties, disruptor threats and Polman’s legacy while maintaining profit targets and boosting growth. Below are the five key challenges Jope will face as he takes on his new role on 1 January.
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2. The future of manufacturing is digital / via @MediaplanetUK

While much of the future may be uncertain, one thing we can be sure about is that with the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), the future of manufacturing is digital. Media Planet talks to EEF’s Chief Executive, Stephen Phipson, about 4IR in Britain, the industrial strategy and the future of manufacturing.
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3. What CEOs are reading – November 2018 / via @MT_editorial

Adapting to a changing world, smart marketing and social leadership are the themes of November’s essential book list. In this month’s essential reading list for CEOs, you can connect with people who have over a century of knowledge between them. Time reading their work is time well spent if you want to learn smarter, faster, forever.
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And finally, some bonus picks to add to your reading list this weekend:

1. Mars is lovely at this time of year: futurists imagine life in 2050 / via @guardian

Earlier this year, the theoretical physicist, Michio Kaku, published a book, The Future of Humanity, in which he grappled with a question central to most of our lives: what will our future look like? Kaku is a popular scientist. He has a knack for studying today’s trends in order to hypothesise what might come tomorrow – how we’ll live, where we’ll live, whether or not an almighty AI might soon rule over us. And he’s not the only one. Futurists have been conceptualising our potential fate for centuries, sometimes successfully. Perhaps, as we stumble through uncertain times, their work is more important now than ever. So what will the world look like in 2050? From family holidays in space, to robot doctors and an end to work, Kaku and three other futurists share their predictions.
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2. Facebook’s UK political ad rules kick in / via @BBCNews

Facebook has started to enforce its tighter political advertising rules in the UK, following the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.. The new rules were supposed to take effect on 7 November, but were delayed when journalists and researchers exposed flaws in the new system. Anybody placing political ads on Facebook must now verify their identity and location and prove who is paying for the advertisement. The new rules were delayed after news site Business Insider was able to buy an advert declared as “Paid for by Cambridge Analytica”. Facebook said it had since made improvements to its checks. It will now review what people type in the “paid for” box, and will limit how many times people can edit the declaration. “Enforcement on these ads will never be perfect, but we’ll continue to work on improving our systems and technology to prevent abuse,” the company said in a statement.
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Spot something you think we should see? Share with us! Email hello@zenoot.com and we may feature it in an upcoming post.