Plant & Works Engineering April 2022

News 0 8 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk April 2022 After what seemed the eternity of the pandemic it seemed that the outlook for manufacturing for this year was much brighter with a rapid recovery in output. However, at the time of writing the sector faces a juxtaposition between soaring domestic and international demand for British manufactured goods and extreme supply-side limitations that are seeing manufacturers struggle to maintain production capacity. On top of this we are yet to see the potential impact from the economic sanctions imposed on Russia which may lead to a further escalation in energy prices and shortages of some critical raw materials which are crucial for sectors such as aerospace, automotive and electronics. It is against this difficult background that the Chancellor will make his Spring Statement towards the end of March by which time we will know if he has taken any measures to support business and help ease the cost burden that companies are facing. The planned National Insurance Contributions (NICs) hike comes at an astoundingly inopportune time for UK manufacturing, not least because it will add to what are already soaring costs for UK businesses. Make UK’s most recent Manufacturing Monitor showed that around two thirds of companies said the rise will also impact on their recruitment plans. In response, Make UK is calling for the planned NICs rise to be postponed until the economy is in a more robust position, a position where such a significant change such as this wouldn’t stand to threaten what is an already anaemic economic recovery. Further to the potential damage to manufacturing’s recovery, the inflationary implications to the wider economy are significant. While input inflation is soaring, consumer inflation is rising at a concerning pace too. If this NICs rise comes to pass, the majority of manufacturers indicate that they are likely to pass this cost directly onto customers, further fuelling the inflationary fire that will continue to trickle down into the consumer economy. While industry fully accepts that it will have to play its part in restoring the public finances after the support it received during the pandemic it believes that, in the short-term, the extreme pressures on costs require immediate action. While some of the pressures are global now is not the time to be imposing further self-inflicted measures. We will have found out at the end of March if the Government takes the same view. By MAKE UK chief executive, Stephen Phipson MAKE uk - the manufacturers’ organisation monthly news comment Expo will also be Air-Tech 2022, which is set to highlight current key themes related to the very latest in air compressor and related technology from companies from around the globe. The event is supported by the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS) and is the UK’s only dedicated event for the compressed air and generators market. In addition, Fluid Power & Systems 2022, also part of the co-location, will focus on a comprehensive range of hydraulic and pneumatic equipment, together with products that facilitate better electro- mechanic system design and application for improved process automation, control, monitoring and analytics. Running alongside Plant & Asset Management Exhibition 2022 and the co- location of events will be Talking Industry Live and The Knowledge Hub seminar theatres. Talking Industry Live will include CPD accredited panel discussions that will fully reflect the ongoing global transformation to the smart manufacturing era and provide fascinating panel discussions and insight into the potential plants of the future. Of particular interest to those visiting Plant & Asset Management Exhibition 2022 will be the focus on Maintenance 4.0, which will be a key Taking Industry Live panel discussion. This important panel discussion will look at the arguments surrounding the benefits, challenges, and overall importance of implementing a Maintenance 4.0 strategy in today’s factories and plants. It will be chaired by Prof John Ahmet Erkoyuncu, Cranfield University who will be joined by by Dean Whittle, Senior Reliability Engineer, RMS Reliability, Matt Grogan, Technical Sales Engineer, SPM Instrument UK, and Daniel Phillips-Fern, IXON UK & Ireland Country Manager. Maintenance 4.0 includes a holistic view of sources of data, ways to connect it, ways to collect it, and ways to analyse it, and is a machine-assisted digital form of all the things we have being doing for the past 40 years to ensure our assets deliver value for our organisations. While The Knowledge Hub will have a strong emphasis on technology that will bring together all aspects of plant and asset management, hydraulics, pneumatics, robotics and automation, energy efficiency, machine safety, drives, motion control, legislation, system strategies and technological developments. Featuring representatives from across industry including government agencies, research bodies, trade associations, and manufacturers. The Society of Operations Engineers (SOE) for example will be discussing practical ways its members can help inspect, maintain, and manage the machinery and equipment which keeps manufacturers functioning. Other seminars and case studies will include presentations from the MTC, CSA Catapult, Made Smarter, UKRI, BFPA, BCAS, Pilz, Primary Engineer, plus many others. For regular show updates, and the full Talking Industry Live and Knowledge Hub seminar programmes please visit: https://www.maintenanceuk-expo.com/ Online registration has now opened for visitors wanting to attend the Plant & Asset Management Exhibition 2022 and co-location of events which will take place at Birmingham National Exhibition Centre from 5-7 April 2022. Please scan the QR code to visit the official show registration page: