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UK PRESIDENCY OF EU MUST DELIVER ON VAT
A leading business pressure group says it is delighted the UK Government is finally prioritising the issue of VAT following a meeting of European finance ministers.
"The Ecofin council meeting attended by the chancellor Gordon Brown saw the Luxembourg finance minister announce that the two forthcoming presidencies, Luxembourg's and the UK's starting in July 2005, would treat VAT as a priority.<BR> The Forum of Private Business (FPB) chief executive Nick Goulding said it is critical the Government backs a sys
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LONDON MAS CELEBRATES TWO YEARS OF SUCCESS IN THE CAPITAL
London Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) celebrated a successful first two years of operations with a cocktail reception attended by members of the capital's manufacturing community at the Science Museum.
"More than 200 guests heard how since being set up by the DTI two years ago, the agency had helped London manufacturers make predicted savings of £3m per annum and generate an increased turnover of nearly £11m.<BR> Speakers included George Kessler, CBE, a board member of the London De
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'END OF THE LINE' FOR MASS PRODUCTION IN BRITAIN
"Mass production in Britain and other developed countries is over, according to a report published recently by the EEF engineering organisation."
"Instead, manufacturing companies are turning to making specialist products for narrow market niches, often tailored to the needs of users, and in which competition from low-cost countries is small.<BR> Businesses following this route frequently stay competitive by using factories in low-wage regions such as eastern Europe or Asia to make components, or s
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BUSINESS PLANNING SOFTWARE TO EASE SMES
"Innovative SME business planning software is set to revolutionise the way make-to-order manufacturers plan and manage their entire business processes, says the provider."
"Planability has launched its innovative SME business planning software solution that is set to revolutionise the way make-to-order (MTO) manufacturers plan and manage their entire business processes. <BR> If you manufacture any type of products to order in any sector, Planability can transform the way you do business, improving
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MANUFACTURING LEADS THE WAY IN TECHNOLOGY USAGE
"Manufacturing companies are leading the way in the use of computerised process control compared to other industry sectors, according to a UK international benchmarking study. "
"New UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) research reveals that the Sector is top of the league in the use of EDI and computer process control systems. <BR> The DTI's International Benchmarking Study 2004, produced independently by Booz Allen Hamilton for DTI's achieving best practice in your business activity, shows t
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HIGH RESOLUTION SENSOR IDEAL FOR MEASURING TRANSPARENT OR SHINY SURFACES
"For manufacturing companies and design engineers who need to measure and monitor transparent or shiny surfaces such as polished metal and glass, Micro-Epsilon's new displacement sensor is able to measure independently from surface reflexion by using a unique 'confocal chromatic' measurement principle. "
"Surface contours can be measured accurately, as well as thicknesses of transparent materials, distances and hole depth. The sensor has a much higher resolution and is more stable than laser diode altern
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NEW SWECO SENTRYSCAN(TM) MONITORS SCREEN PERFORMANCE
"Sweco recently announced the development of the Sweco SentryScan, a patent pending warning system that notifies operators of poor screen performance by using microwaves to detect most breaks, holes or tears in a separator's wire-mesh screens. "
"This early warning enables processors to avoid the costs associated with reprocessing off-spec product, contamination of downstream equipment and product recalls.<BR> According to Mike Timmerman, senior product engineer at Sweco: ""The SentryScan
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"HIGH HO, HIGH HO IT'S OFF TO WORK WE GO"
Are drugs and alcohol significant risks for the workplace?<BR>by Lindsay Hadfield
"The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) annual report for 2004 puts the UK at the top of the European league for cannabis and cocaine use. This inevitably raises questions about whether social use has an impact on the UK work environment. <BR> Newspapers love to run stories of financiers, or footballers, working under the influence of cocaine. Does this happen in the world of 'real' work?
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ACQUISITIONS FUEL FURTHER GROWTH AT SAIA-BURGESS
"When Adam was a lad, a company called Burgess, based in Gateshead, was focusing its energies on designing and manufacturing world leading microswitches. And while Adam managed to get into all sorts of trouble with serpents and forbidden fruit, Burgess Microswitch went from strength to strength."
"Realising that continued growth would only come with greater diversity, Burgess acquired a successful Swiss company and its product range increased at a stroke to include miniature motors and electronic control
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WELL CONNECTED - FIELDBUSES COMBINE FOR FINE CHEMICAL PRODUCTION
"Rockwood Electronic Materials has just completed a major upgrade to its Derbyshire site, based around a multi-fieldbus control system, to create a state-of-the-art automated mixing plant. "
"Systems integrator Golconda was selected to fully implement the control solution, from the initial design phase right through to the production of chemicals. <BR> Mitsubishi Electric was chosen as the preferred PLC source, as existing equipment from this manufacturer was already performing well on site. <BR
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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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