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FUEL CELLS GIVE TO GRID
Ceramic Fuel Cells has signed a deal with E.ON, the firm which runs UK utility Powergen, to develop domestic heating boilers that also generate power that can be fed back into the grid.
The deal has sent Ceramic’s shares up 6.4 percent and comes as utilities try to pick out the technologies which will win the battle to produce electricity in the home.
Fuel cells which make electricity have been around for more than a century. But high costs and technical challenges have limited their commercial use.
Ceram
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UK RESEARCH OUTSTRIPS US
The UK is outstripping the US in the research impact of a number of key disciplines including health and biological sciences, a new report has revealed.
The UK has increased its share of the world’s most influential scientific papers and its research base is second only to the United States in terms of its achievements, productivity and efficiency.
Science and Innovation Minister Malcolm Wicks said “It’s great to see the UK building on its success and tradition of excellence in scientific research.
“I’m proud to
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UK’S BMI TO EXPAND TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHTS
British airline bmi said it would expand its long haul flights to take advantage of liberalised transatlantic flying, after boosting operating profit by 85 percent in 2006.
Chief Executive Nigel Turner declined to say which routes the airline was looking at launching from Heathrow when the “open skies” pact between the European Union and the United States takes effect in March 2008. He did say the Airbus A330 was bmi’s preferred aircraft for fleet expansion.
“We’ve had a good run with the A330s, and we’re familiar w
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NATIONAL ACADEMY TO RAISE SKILL LEVEL
A new £14m national academy to raise manufacturing skills is to be launched by the Government in the West Midlands. Alistair Darling will call for a ‘national mission’ to lift skill levels to compete with the growing economic powerhouses of China and India.
The new academy is one of a series set up by Government across sectors of industry. It will deliver courses designed for the first time by industry for industry, training 40,000 students a year by 2012. Some of the biggest names in British manufacturing- Rolls Royce
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ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IGNORED
Recent research carried out by Hitachi Data Systems reveals that only 13 percent of the manufacturing industry considers environmental factors as a key factor in deciding on IT investments, in spite of the growing awareness of climate change.In addition, the manufacturing sector is the least likely to plan their data storage needs ahead with only 14 percent perceiving storage to be a vital part of the IT infrastructure.
The results show that the sector is behind the times in its attitude to data storage and could b
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BIDDING STARTS WITH NEW ONLINE AUCTION
A new auction concentrating on the sales and valuation of industrial machinery has closed its first ever online auction for metalworking and plastics, having received over 200 bids worldwide.
The new type of online auction, was designed specifically to allow multiple sellers to showcase used machinery and equipment to an international audience of buyers. These first auctions have attracted over 32,000 visitors from 70 countries.
Nick Taylor, Managing Director of GoIndustry UK said: “It’s great to see that launchin
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FLEXIBLE WORK HOURS TO BECOME THE NORM
A survey revealing that more than a third of British workers now work outside traditional hours has been heralded as yet another demonstration that the nature of work across the world is changing fundamentally.
Phil Flaxton, chief executive of Work Wise UK, said: “What we are seeing is the beginnings of a complete revolution in the way we work. The changes are unavoidable, and crucial if the UK economy is going to be able to compete in the global economy in the face of competition already emerging from India and C
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WASTE DIRECTORY TO HELP MANUFACTURERS CLEAN UP
A Waste directory that shows manufacturers where to find licensed sites for recycling or disposing of their waste is being launched by NetRegs, the government website that provides clear guidance on environmental regulations.
The NetRegs waste directory is free, interactive and easy to use. Users can search online by postcode or town and waste type, and will be directed to appropriate local waste management sites. The sites can be located using an electronic map that shows which are closest and highlights those offe
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WIND POWER CONNECTS TO THE NATIONAL GRID SYSTEM
The development of the UK’s pioneering offshore wind energy sector continues apace as details were announced today of the licensing regime for would-be electricity transmission owners.
After a joint consultation the DTI has decided in agreement with Ofgem that Britain’s monopoly electricity transmission network owners will have the opportunity to compete against a wider range of transmission companies to build, own and maintain the links.
The aim is for this ‘non-exclusive’ system to deliver cheaper and more timely
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SAFE WORKPLACES GIVEN NEW AWARD
This years European Agency for Safety and Health at Work award scheme will recognise companies or organisations that have made outstanding contributions to promote an integrated management approach to tackle musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
‘Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common work-related health problem in Europe; across the EU, 25 percent of workers suffer from backache and 23 percent have muscular pains’, explains Jukka Takala, Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. ‘Many proble
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| Brains and beauty |
Furness and West Cumbria’s West Coast is about to experience a major investment that will strengthen the tourism and industry s ...
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| National Stadium, Beijing |
At the pinnacle of its construction, the National Stadium in Beijing had 7,000 workers toiling over the infrastructure. ...
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No smoke without fire
It seems that commentators, industry heads, central bankers and, dare I say it, Industrial Focus’s own journalists have made so ...
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Innovation for the nations
Hope for the future has arisen from the turmoil of the last few months, as industrial technologies have spun out some marvels o ...
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Supposedly the construction
materials of the future, composites are increasingly seen in
applications where optimum efficiency is paramount including
aircraft construction and renewable energy. As two research
examples show in this video, composites really are the future
for efficiency.
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