Jon Hughes
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Production at Jaguar Land Rover has stalled since early September following a cyber-attack. Workers are idled and digital systems remain offline as the company warns disruption may persist into October.
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Britain’s smaller manufacturers are at a crossroads. The UK trails its global peers in robotics and AI adoption, ranking just 24th in robot density worldwide with around half the automation of the European average. At the same time, output values are nudging upward while productivity is slipping, with output per hour worked falling 0.8% year-on-year…
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Leading independent integrator of packaging lines Autopack has bought Nottingham-based Autopak Machinery, a designer and manufacturer of bespoke bag filling and handling equipment. The move furthers Autopack’s capabilities in the flexible packaging market and continues to build its wider offer in processing and packaging lines for businesses across the UK. Autopak Machinery will be rebranded as APM, and…
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Leading independent integrator of packaging lines Autopack has marked a tenfold growth in turnover over the last five years – and is targeting ambitious plans for even further growth. Turnover at the Hereford-based business is forecast to hit £12m this year, with Autopack already £1.5m ahead of its sales targets in the first quarter of…
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National brickwork and scaffolding specialist Phoenix Brickwork, based in Pinxton, Derbyshire, has completed its work on the prestigious Secklow Gate residential development in Milton Keynes. The project, undertaken in partnership with long-standing client, Galliford Try, saw Phoenix Brickwork deliver both masonry and scaffolding services, marking the first time both divisions have worked together on a…
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The government has stepped in to take control of Liberty Steel’s speciality steel operations in South Yorkshire after the High Court ruled the business insolvent. Around 1,450 jobs at Rotherham and Stocksbridge have been placed under the oversight of the Official Receiver and restructuring firm Teneo, who have been appointed to manage the sites and…
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The new transatlantic trade deals have left European and UK manufacturers grappling with higher costs, uneven tariff regimes and supply chain volatility. While the agreements avoided a full-scale trade war, they locked in tariffs at levels not seen in decades — 15% on most EU exports to the United States, 10% for the UK with…
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Europe’s industrial backbone is facing a silent divide. While automation headlines are dominated by “lights-out” factories and billion-euro investments, the real test is unfolding on the shop floors of small and mid-sized manufacturers. For every multinational with a data-driven smart plant, there are dozens of European SMEs wrestling with legacy kit, skills shortages, and the…
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As of 30 June 2025, the number of UK construction firms in “critical” financial distress had soared to 7,849 — a 33 percent increase from Q1 and a 15.8 percent rise year-on-year, according to Begbies Traynor’s latest Red Flag Alert. This escalation places construction among the hardest-hit sectors in the UK economy, where a total…
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ABB has partnered with E.ON, Germany’s largest distribution system operator (DSO), to supply its new sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆)-free gas-insulated switch-gear (GIS). As a DSO, E.ON is responsible for operating, maintaining, and developing the medium- and low-voltage electricity networks that deliver power to end users. The delivery includes ABB’s next-generation SafeRing and SafePlus Air 24kV secondary GIS,…
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