Weekly News Bulletin – 20th July 2018

This week, we shared a thought piece on why digital engineering is the new growth area for manufacturers. Based on a new report by Capgemini, nearly half of the manufacturing industry worldwide will be powered by smart connected systems by 2020, with half of the surveyed companies planning to spend more than 100 million euros over the next two years on digital engineering. Are you planning to invest in digital growth for your business?

Express and Star shared news that another 1,000 jobs have been saved from the Carillion collapse. This comes as companies takes over contracts from the construction company, which is saving nearly three-quarters of the pre-liquidation workforce by transferring jobs to new suppliers.

We also shared interesting insight from our very own Sales Director for Framing, on the importance of specifying framing materials that have been fire tested. Since the Grenfell Tower Fire in 2017, there has been a focus on improving fire safety, work with an increase of 56% of fire safety work tenders issued by the public sector. We’d recommend reading this piece to find out more about why fire safety is high on the agenda for us all in the construction industry.

The Business Times released an article based on analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers, looking at the impact of robots in the construction sector. According to this analysis, there will both winners and losers, with 7 million existing UK jobs thought to be destroyed but this many new jobs should also be created over the next two decades. The worst hit sector is thought to be manufacturing, with 25% of current staff potentially cut by 2037 due to artificial intelligence. Are you concerned about the effect of Industry 4.0?

Express and Star reported that manufacturing in the West Midlands provides an incredible 305,000 jobs, making the sector a key focus for the region. With more than one in 10 of the West Midlands workforce working in manufacturing, it is clear that this industry has a vital role in the area.
Finally, Business Matters released a thought piece that looked at how the engineering industry is changing. With the changing engineering environment, we would recommend reading this article to find out a little more about aspects such as digital technology and new tools for the industry.

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Why digital engineering is the new growth area for manufacturers
Manufacturers believe that nearly half of their products will be smart and connected by 2020 and they intend spending a lot of money to make it so.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/why-digital-engineering-is-the-new-growth-area-for-manufacturers/

Another 1,000 jobs saved in fallout from Carillion collapse
Another 1,000 Carillion jobs have been saved over the last week as new companies take over contracts from the collapsed construction and services giant.
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/business/2018/07/16/another-1000-carillion-jobs-saved-but-more-go-from-wolverhampton-headquarters/

Fire safety in construction: Setting the agenda
Sales Director for Framing at voestalpine Metsec plc, explores the importance of only specifying framing materials that have been fire tested or assessed and the options available to the industry
https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/health-safety-news/fire-safety-construction/43537/

Robots will bolster UK growth and create new jobs, PwC says
Robots could destroy about 7 million existing UK jobs but create at least that many more over the next two decades, according to analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/technology/robots-will-bolster-uk-growth-and-create-new-jobs-pwc-says

305,000 jobs help make manufacturing key for the West Midlands
The importance of manufacturing in the West Midlands has been underlined by a new report showing it employs 305,000 people across the region – more than one in 10 of the workforce.
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/business/2018/07/16/305000-jobs-help-make-manufacturing-key-for-the-west-midlands/

How the engineering industry is changing
Digital technology is responsible for changing the face of many of our traditional industries and none more so than the world of engineering.
http://www.bmmagazine.co.uk/opinion/how-the-engineering-industry-is-changing/