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The Friday Roundup – 08/03/2019

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 British Salt, Siemens, Terex and Finnebrogue all reveal new investment plans, Mondelez serves up a host of new apprenticeship opportunities for 2019, plus a look at how some of the world’s most recognised brands are pushing for change to mark #IWD2019.

Our top 5 most read this week

1. Siemens invests £6.5m in Lincoln R&D facilities

Siemens has announced it is investing £6.5 million in improved facilities at one of its Lincoln sites. The Siemens global research and development team, responsible for developing the next generation of small gas turbines, have been based at their Firth Road site since the 1970s. The move, which will be completed by December 2020, will see the 120-strong team move across the city to Siemens’ main Ruston Works. As part of this relocation, test equipment will transfer and an existing office block will benefit from a significant upgrade. With more than 1,500 employees across Lincoln, Siemens has invested £100 million into the area since 2010 with £48.5 million at Teal Park and £43.5 million at Ruston Works. In addition, Siemens Mobility opened a new £8 million Bogie Service Centre in Lincoln in 2018, which is set to create up to 40 skilled jobs by the end of 2019.
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2. British Salt announces major £7.2m investment

British Salt has unveiled a series of ground-breaking projects in its 50th anniversary year, including a £7.2m investment in a new, best-in-class energy efficient boiler plant at its Cheshire-based Middlewich site, designed to generate heat and electricity for the company’s 24-hour production process. The new British Salt boiler plant represents the largest single investment in the company since its inception. Scheduled to become operational in March 2020, it will be key to the success of a secure energy supply for British Salt. The major boiler plant project brings parent company Tata Chemicals Europe’s total investment in British Salt to £25m since 2015. It comes hot on the heels of a series of high-profile investments carried out throughout 2018 at British Salt to ensure that the company offers a comprehensive portfolio of 21st century-relevant high purity salt products for the long term. Projects delivered in 2018 included the commissioning of British Salt’s first new brine borehole in over 5 years and the replacement of one of British Salt’s 37 tonne evaporation plant heat exchanger that’s key to the plant’s six-stage evaporation process.
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3. Terex to invest £12m at new manufacturing facility

Terex Corporation has announced it is to establish a new manufacturing facility in Campsie, Londonderry as part of a £12m investment. The new facility will manufacture product lines for Terex Ecotec (waste management and recycling) and Terex Conveying Systems (TCS) (mobile conveying). The investment will create 100 new jobs. Terex currently operates from eight sites across Northern Ireland, employing over 1,500 people. Kieran Hegarty, President of Terex Materials Processing, said: “Our objective is to be recognised as a leading global manufacturer of mobile conveyor systems, waste management and recycling equipment. This new 105,000 sq ft. facility will help us realise this ambition by increasing our manufacturing and engineering design capability and developing innovative new products for Terex Ecotec and TCS. Work is already underway on the new Campsie site. It will be operational later this year, and we aim to have all 100 jobs in place within 3-4 years. This is an exciting development for Terex and the local team and we look forward to the new facility and new recruits playing an important part in our future here.”
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4. Mondelez to recruit 55 new apprentices in 2019

Mondelez International has announced it is hiring 55 new apprentices for 2019 across the UK. With some of the best and brightest people choosing to join the world of work instead of going to university and career paths changing, Mondelez International is offering diverse apprenticeships for young people to get their teeth into. The roles available include scientists and engineering to supply chain & procurement apprenticeships across their UK sites; Bournville, Sheffield and Reading.
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5. Finnebrogue to create new jobs following £17m investment

Northern Ireland-based artisan food manufacturer, Finnebrogue, is to create up to 125 new jobs following a £17m investment in its state-of-the-art nitrite-free bacon facility. The Invest Northern Ireland backed investment has enabled the company to establish a manufacturing facility in Downpatrick for the production of its nitrite-free bacon. Denis Lynn, Chairman of Finnebrogue Artisan, said: “It has been known for decades that nitrites used in curing meat can cause cancer. That’s why, despite being the UK’s leading top tier sausage maker, we refused to make a single rasher of bacon until we could figure out a way to make it better and safer. And so, after much research, we discovered a process that uses fruit and spice extracts to flavour the pork, keep it pink and retain shelf life.” Finnebrogue Artisan also produces and sells The Good Little Company range of healthy sausages and recently opened a vegetarian factory producing innovative, meat-free meal options. It is one of the fastest growing food manufacturers in the UK with its turnover increasing from £5m to over £90m per year over the last ten years. The company is anticipating that sales of Naked Bacon will add £23m to its turnover by 2022.
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Our favourite #GBmfg & #UKmfg tweets of the week


Recommendation roundup

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

1. How brands are pushing for change to mark International Women’s Day / via @MarketingWeekEd

From ending period poverty to helping female creatives return to work, today (8 March) marks International Women’s Day, and a flurry of brands are joining the movement to help empower, celebrate and support women and their achievements. From Adidas and Amazon to P&G and Diageo, here’s a look at what they’re doing to mark the day and drive change more generally.
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2. Tesla’s crazy plan to sell its cars exclusively online might just pay off / via @thenextweb

Tesla announced that it’s finally making its much-awaited $35,000 Tesla 3 sedan available for purchase. However, the most eye-catching part of the announcement wasn’t about the car, but about the company’s decision to move its sales exclusively online. CEO Elon Musk said that it took this decision in order to keep Tesla’s cars affordable. He noted that this move will allow the company to lower all vehicle prices by about six percent on average. Because of this decision, the company won’t have to spend on keeping showrooms open, and on employing salespeople. Only a handful of showrooms will remain open to serve as ‘galleries’ and information centers. And while that all sounds absurd, it might just make sense for this particular electric vehicle company.
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3. How female engineers are smashing stereotypes at Brompton / via @TheEngineerUK

The first Brompton bicycle was designed in 1975. The innovative folding bike comes from humble beginnings, having been devised by Andrew Ritchie from a flat in London. Today, it is a global brand with a team of engineers working to create innovative products. Three of the company’s female design engineers reveal their thoughts on their chosen careers and the future of the industry.
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And finally, some bonus picks to add to your reading list this weekend:

1. Going it alone: What drives solo endurance athletes? / via @guardian

Few people have the will and the stamina needed to run across a continent or row across an ocean — and even fewer opt to do so alone and unsupported. So what makes endurance athletes different from others who pursue similar challenges as part of a team, or while competing against fellow athletes? Are they simply made of tougher stuff?
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2. Secrets of a four-day week, from an owner who wants every company to try it / via @qz

The four-day work week is a dream which many full-time workers think they’ll never achieve. But the head of a New Zealand company, which trialed and then adopted a four-day week offered to all its staff—with no wage cuts or additional hours on work days, says he knows how to make it work for any company.
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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.