• Managing outsourced manufacturing in an age of disruption

    Too many cooks in the kitchen can spoil the broth. While the goal of global sourcing and outsourced manufacturing is to reduce manufacturing costs, the increased complexity that comes with leveraging internal and external manufacturers introduces significant challenges. Among these are the challenges to managing visibility and control, which can negate financial benefits. For example, when quality issues arise, the disconnected and disparate nature of third-party manufacturing makes them difficult to detect. At the same time, early detection is critical, particularly in regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals or food and beverage, to avoid the accumulation of additional costs and production time spent on additional units that share the defect. The ability of a brand owner to quickly…

  • Government to support 100 ‘levelling-up’ projects with £2bn fund

    British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has unveiled "transformational funding" of around £2.1bn for 100 projects that he said will benefit millions of people across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  The new funding includes £ 672m to develop better transport links, £821m for community regeneration and £594m to restore local heritage sites, as well as other education, clean technology and community initiatives.  The Department for Levelling Up promised that the latest round of levelling up funding would deliver much-needed economic growth and new jobs to historically overlooked areas. "Through greater investment in local areas, we can grow the economy, create good jobs and spread opportunity everywhere," said Sunak. "That's why we are backing more than 100 projects with new…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Science Museum’s ‘Engineers’ exhibition aims to bolster struggling sector

    The gallery will feature illustrated stories from more than 60 engineers working in a broad range of industries, such as farming, fashion, robotics and medicine. The museum said the exhibits, which will focus on winners of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize), will attempt to “shine a light on their lives, motivations, thought processes, and what they do day to day”. The stories will be presented in four sections: Bodies, Lives, Connections and Creation. Bodies​ will look at how controlled drug delivery and surgical robots place people and their bodies at the heart of precision engineering practice. In Lives​, LED lighting and digital imaging sensors will​ illustrate how engineers work sustainably and attempt to minimise their ecological footprint. Connections will…

  • Microsoft announces 10,000 layoffs

    Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella confirmed the company's plans to reduce its workforce during the global economic slowdown, following similar action taken by Meta and Amazon.  Microsoft , which employs more than 220,000 people worldwide, including 6,000 in the UK, will lay off 10,000 employees by the end of September 2023. The company will also spend $1.2bn (£972m) in severance and reorganisation costs. In the announcement, Nadella blamed changing customer behaviours following the Covid-19 pandemic. He stressed that while customer spending had grown during Covid, more people and companies were now choosing to "exercise caution" when faced with a looming recession.  “We’re now seeing them optimise their digital spend to do more with less,” he said. “We will align our cost structure…

  • Drones scour tree canopy for DNA samples to monitor biodiversity

    Ecologists have been collecting genetic material samples, called environmental DNA (eDNA), to catalogue and monitor biodiversity. Based on these DNA traces, they can determine which species are present in a certain area. While obtaining samples from water or soil is easy, other habitats such as the forest canopy are more difficult for researchers to access, which makes it harder to track the species that live there. Researchers at ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, and the company SPYGEN have partnered to develop a special drone that can autonomously collect samples on tree branches. The drone is equipped with adhesive strips. When the aircraft lands on a branch, material from the branch sticks to these strips. Researchers can then…

  • Desert dust masks true extent of climate change, research suggests

    The full amount of warming caused by greenhouse gases has been hidden by microscopic airborne particles thrown into the air during desert dust storms, a new study suggests. Furthermore, research by University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) found that the amount of desert dust has grown roughly 55 per cent since the mid-1800s, which increased the dust’s cooling effect. Some effects of atmospheric dust warm the planet, but because other effects of dust actually counteract warming – for example, by scattering sunlight back into space and dissipating high clouds that warm the planet – the study calculated that dust’s overall effect is a cooling one. The researchers warn that if dust levels decline or stop growing, warming could ramp up. “We show desert dust has increased and most likely…

  • Engineering needs more female talent: how do we get there?

    How can I make a real impact and help to solve big problems? How can I help save the environment and make the world a better place? These are the questions I asked myself when I was considering future career paths. While I was really interested in sustainability and engineering, it was difficult for me to grasp how my skill set fitted into the sector. However, my worries quickly vanished when I joined Naked Energy in 2019. Not all women have had the same experience. Many are left wondering how they fit within the industry, or simply don’t engage with engineering at all despite the opportunities that are out there. It’s particularly true for the renewable energy sector. If we’re going to attract more women to the industry, then we need to change its perception. Engineering has a reputation…

  • Energy efficiency boost could save households £500 a year

    The average home could save £500 a year on bills from April with good insulation and heat pumps, according to a recent IPPR report.  In the document, the think tank warned that public investment in energy efficiency and low-carbon heating is falling short of what is needed to meet climate goals to cut gas demand and emissions – and reduce consumers' bills.  The report called for planned investment earmarked for after 2025 to be brought forward to the next two years to plug a £5.8bn funding gap. In relation to home insulation, IPPR found that the UK's plan would require £ 12.7bn of public funding – but there is a shortfall in spending of at least £2.4bn. The report also found that £5.1bn of public spending would be needed to replace gas boilers with electric heat pumps, but there the…

  • The measure of: De Tomaso P900 hypercar

    Italian performance brand De Tomaso has unveiled the P900, the “world’s first carbon-neutral V-12”. “This venture into synthetic fuels represents our commitment to pursuing a zero-emissions mobility future without sacrificing the crucial element which we all hold so dear – the soul and symphony of an engine,” said CEO Norman Choi. The track-only hypercar’s power is driven through the rear wheels, and it features a sequential gearbox and a full carbon-fibre body and chassis. Designed by Jowyn Wong and Jakub Jodlowski, the duo behind the De Tomaso P72 two-seater model, the first P900s will arrive in the second quarter of 2023, with the Judd V-10. The V-12 variant is due to be released the following year. Image credit: Cover Images “Our design team have spent…

  • EU proposes new plan to boost green industries

    The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the plans during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.  The plan would provide financial support to the bloc's green industries through state aid as well as a European Sovereignty Fund. Its goal is to keep the sector competitive in the face of the technological dominance of the US and China.    In her speech, Von der Leyen said the steps would be part of the European Union's (EU) Green Deal industrial plan to help Europe reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. "To help make this happen, we will put forward a new 'Net Zero Industry Act'," she said. "The aim will be to focus investment on strategic projects along the entire supply chain. "We will especially look at how to simplify and fast…

  • ‘Wrecking ball bill’ to weaken green protections could cost UK £82bn

    The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill is returning to the Commons today and if passed would make it easier for the government to amend, repeal and replace EU law retained after Brexit. It also allows nearly all remaining retained EU law to be either repealed or absorbed into UK domestic law by 31 December 2023. The Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL) has expressed concern that the bill could see the government changing over 1,000 environmental protections in the UK for the worse. The report, which was carried out by the Economics for the Environment Consultancy, found that weakening laws in just four of the areas covered by the Bill could cost £82.94bn over 30 years. These figures come from the damage that could be caused in areas including the health impacts of poorer air…

  • Sponsored: Traceability, productivity and sustainability, with a digital MIS

    Indeed, there is always more that can be done. Here, we explore the role that a digital management information system (MIS) can play in the journey to net zero. It’s a scary statistic that around 50% of a building’s total embodied carbon is specified during Stage Two of the RIBA Plan of Works (PoW): Concept Design. While this is a significant amount, structural and civil engineers are already taking the steps needed to make a change at this construction phase; yet there still remains another 50% of embodied carbon to be considered. Every stage of the RIBA PoW generates carbon, making it everyone’s responsibility to do their bit, make changes and work greener. One such way is to employ a management information system (MIS) at the fabrication and manufacturing stage. While primarily developed…

  • ‘Gamechanger’ technique cuts automotive manufacturing costs

    Aluminium typically plays a key role in reducing the weight of a car which also helps to reduce fuel consumption. A modern car contains large amounts of aluminium and use of the metal is on the increase. A new casting technology makes it possible to cast aluminium bolts with small diameters and high-quality surface properties which enables the metal to be used directly in the manufacture of parts such as suspension components in cars. By using cast material, the production of aluminium car components becomes less expensive, more eco-friendly and more efficient, while also reducing the amount of production scrap generated. The casting technology has been developed by the Norwegian aluminium producer Hydro and is carried out under vacuum conditions. Currently, a car component production…

  • Philanthropy drives competition and collaboration

    “Labour, capital, and ability are a three-legged stool... They are equal members of the great triple alliance which moves the industrial world,” said famous philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who was the wealthiest man in the world at the beginning of the 20th century. He established the Carnegie Corporation of New York in 1911 dedicated to the principles of ‘scientific philanthropy’, but now his do-gooding baton has been passed to other billionaire entrepreneurs who might agree with Carnegie’s notion that “the man who dies thus rich dies disgraced”. This new generation includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who recently announced he will give away most of his $124bn fortune to help causes including fighting the climate crisis, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who established the Bill & Melinda…

  • Biological sensor allows robot to detect smells

    The robot designed by the Tel Aviv University team is able to detect and interpret electrical signals it receives from the biological sensor, as a response to the presence of a nearby odour.  The biological sensor's sensitivity to smell is 10,000 times higher than that of existing electronic devices, the researchers said. “We connected the biological sensor and let it smell different odours while we measured the electrical activity that each odour induced," said Professor Yossi Yovel, one of the researchers on the team. "The system allowed us to detect each odour at the level of the insect’s primary sensory organ. Then, in the second step, we used machine learning to create a ‘library’ of smells." The scientists were able to characterise eight odours in total, including geranium, lemon…

  • £1K potential savings for EV drivers with ‘Smart Charging Action Plan’

    The UK government has presented a new plan to boost smart electric vehicle (EV) charging, which it claims could save drivers up to £1,000 a year.  The ‘Electric Vehicle Smart Charging Action Plan’ would involve boosting the network of units with smart charging capabilities, which would minimise the impact of EVs on the grid by reducing demand peaks. The plan was drawn up by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Ofgem, with the goal of making smart charging "the norm at home and work by 2025", as well as the preferred method of long-duration public charging. It stresses that smarter charging could save an average driver around £200 and a high-mileage motorist up to £1,000 a year by, for example, delaying a charge at peak periods until overnight when energy…

  • EV battery-maker Britishvolt collapses; hundreds to lose jobs

    Electric car battery company Britishvolt has fallen into administration and made the majority of its 300 staff redundant, administrators have confirmed. The company, which had plans to build a gigafactory to make the batteries in Northumberland, has appointed administrators at EY after failing to raise enough cash for its research and the development of its Cambois site. It comes after months of trouble as the company struggled to raise enough money to stay afloat. A week ago the group said it was in talks with potential investors. “The company has entered into administration due to insufficient equity investment for both the ongoing research it was undertaking and the development of its sites in the Midlands and the North East of England,” EY said today (Tuesday). “The joint administrators…

  • Big Tech bosses face prosecution in amended Online Safety Bill

    Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative administration has promised to amend the Online Safety Bill to introduce prison sentences for managers that fail to protect children from online harm.  The proposal was pushed for by nearly 50 Conservative MPs, with the backing of the Labour Party.  The much-delayed Online Safety Bill has been presented by the government as a ground-breaking law that will target  online racism, sexual abuse, bullying, fraud and other harmful material often found on the internet.  In its original form, the bill gave regulators wide-ranging powers to sanction digital and social media companies such as Google, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok. However, it has been significantly watered down in revisions over the past year.  Under the new amendment, the government is…

  • Tempest jet programme facilitates experienced engineers passing on knowledge

    With the aircraft expected to enter service in 2035 and be operated for decades to come, a young engineer joining a company like Team Tempest electronics lead Leonardo UK could conceivably work exclusively on the jet for their entire career. But a programme like Tempest, which aims to speed up development by drawing on the lessons learned from building previous combat jets, faces a key challenge. How do the companies involved preserve the essential knowledge and experience gained from programmes like Tornado and Typhoon as older workers retire and are replaced by the next generation? The answer being put forward by Leonardo UK is its new ‘brain-to-brain’ initiative. Here, experienced engineers approaching retirement spend some of their final year in employment passing their hard-earned…

  • Scientists use laser to steer lightning bolts

    The demonstration was considered the first time that humans have been able to guide lightning with lasers, a technology that could help protect wider areas against dangerous strikes.   The Laser Lightning Rod (LLR) is a new laser system with an average power of 1kW, pulsing about 1,000 times per second while unleashing one joule of energy per pulse. To test the technology, a team of scientists from six research institutions set up the LLR on the summit of Säntis, in the Swiss Alps, near a 124m-high telecoms tower that is struck by lightning about 100 times a year. Between June and September 2021, the researchers beamed a laser into the clouds, aiming to create  a path of least resistance for the electricity to flow through. The system was used during four lightning strikes over the course…

  • Upcycling microfibres from laundered clothes - new study

    Microfibres are defined as tiny ‘threads’, smaller than 5mm, that break off from textiles through the everyday acts of wearing and laundering garments and textiles. Estimates suggest that every year more than half a million tons of microfibres are released into the world’s oceans simply from washing our clothing, while microfibres from synthetic textiles (known as microplastics) are one of the biggest sources of microplastic pollution in the world’s oceans, contaminating the entire planet from the summit of Mount Everest to the depths of the Mariana Trench. In order to address this significant environmental problem, Xeros Technology developed a washing machine filtration device - XFilter - which captures over 80 per cent of the microfibres shed during garment laundering and prevents their…

  • Indian Railways orders 1,200 freight locos from Siemens

    Under the terms of the contract, valued at around €3bn (£2.7bn), Siemens Mobility will design, manufacture, commission and test the locomotives and provide 35 years of full service maintenance. Deliveries are planned over a period of 11 years. The 9,000-horsepower (6.6MW) locomotives will be assembled in the Indian Railways factory in Dahod, in the state of Gujarat. Maintenance will be carried out in four Indian Railways depots located in Vishakhapatnam, Raipur, Kharagpur and Pune. Locomotive assembly and maintenance will be implemented together with the staff of Indian Railways. These locomotives will be used for freight transport throughout the Indian Railways network and are specified to haul loads of 4,500 tons at a maximum speed of 120km/h, putting them among the most powerful freight…

  • STEM ambassadors bemoan careers advice

    Fortunately for anyone working today in telecommunications, advice back in the 19 th century was largely ignored. “The Americans have need of the telephone, but we do not,” declared William Preece, chief engineer of the British Post office, in 1876. “We have plenty of messenger boys.” Variations of famously wrong forecasts litter history – “the horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty” (advice to Henry Ford from the president of Michigan Savings Bank, 1903) through to the confident predictions that television – and later the internet – will never catch on, vacuum cleaners will be nuclear powered, post delivered by guided missiles, helicopters will replace cars... and so on. So, pity those charged with advising today’s teenagers about tomorrow’s careers, when we don’t even…

  • Interview: Bryan Dean, CEO and co-founder, Dragonfly Aerospace

    “I would like to explore Earth first. Then the Moon, Mars, the asteroids and even further beyond. And if the hardware that I am building is out there helping us to do that, it would give me large amounts of satisfaction.” Bryan Dean is describing his personal mission for Dragonfly Aerospace that designs and manufactures satellite cameras for monitoring what’s happening on Earth from orbit. His company is also just about to launch its first satellite. While Dragonfly’s CEO and co-founder is passionate about space, he recognises that there are “a lot of pressing matters here on Earth”. With his company based in South Africa, the national water crisis of 2017 is still fresh in his mind. “We were worried that the water was going to run out. We were calling it Day Zero, and getting to the point…

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