INDUSTRYNEWS
Cable announces £100 million to
support domestic supply chains
Business Secretary Vince Cable on 11 April
2014 announced £100 million to help
companies strengthen their domestic supply
chains and create or safeguard thousands
of jobs.
The new funding will provide support
for the increasing trend of ‘reshoring’, as
companies bring manufacturing back to the
UK from abroad.
Speaking at MACH, the manufacturing
technology showcase at the NEC in
Birmingham, the Business Secretary said:
“A strong manufacturing sector is vital to a
balanced economic recovery, and I want to
ensure that Britain’s supply chains are up to
the task of supporting the sector in the long
term.
“Our industrial strategy, which has given
business the confidence to invest, is paying
dividends in the reshoring we have seen so
far. We will continue to support businesses to
secure more highly skilled jobs and a stronger
economy.”
Previous recipients of funding from the
Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain
Initiative (AMSCI) have included technology
for increasing the scale of 3D printing of
metals; and reshoring the manufacture of cats’
eyes from overseas to the UK
The scheme aims to rebuild Britain’s
manufacturing prowess. Four previous
rounds of funding have secured nearly half a
billion pounds of public-private investment
to 44 projects including more than 180
organisations, directly creating or safeguarding
more than 15,000 jobs. The scheme has
indirectly created or safeguarded a further
15,000.
Terry Scuoler, Chief Executive at EEF, the
manufacturers’ organisation, said:
“This is another welcome boost for British
manufacturing, which will have a positive
impact on the wider economy. Our own
research shows that in the last three years, one
in six companies has re-shored production
back to the UK with many turning to a UKbased supply chain for parts and components.
High value manufacturing creates jobs
and wealth here so I’m delighted to see the
government getting behind it.
Companies across England looking to
strengthen their supply chains through capital
investments, research and development, and
skills training will soon be able to start bidding
for funding.
The manufacturing sector supports 2 .5
million jobs and contributes almost £140
billion a year to the UK.
ED Glass speeds up
production with
Interfill KX
Hot on the heels of launching the brand new
Interfill machinery range, Inagas says there has
already been ‘fantastic uptake’ from the market.
One of the first companies to realise
the benefits was independent sealed
unit manufacturer ED Glass, which
recently purchased the Interfill KX, with
Argon, Krypton, Xenon or even mixed
gas capability, for its West Oxfordshire
facility.
Trading for more than 20 years, Oxfordbased ED Glass prides itself on offering a fast,
competitive and reliable service to customers,
thanks to high standards of manufacturing,
fully trained staff and of course, market
leading machinery. With one Inagas line
already in place, it made sense when
experiencing increasing customer demand,
to approach the gas filling experts again for a
To read more, visit www.clearview-uk.com
second line in order to increase production, as
Director Lee Williams explains: “We do a lot
of gas filling work, so it became increasingly
apparent that we needed to quickly speed up
production in order to continue to stay ahead
of demand. We have worked with Inagas for a
number of years now and have never had any
problems with the existing line. They are an
approachable company, and Chris is always
available to come to our site if we need any
support.
“We had the Interfill KX installed midJanuary, following a consultation with Chris
about which machine would be best for us.
We were provided with three options, and,
for the size of our business, its needs and cost
effectiveness, we decided that the Interfill
KX was the best choice for ED Glass. We are
already seeing the benefits, as we are able to
now complete two lots of gas filling at the
same time, so we can significantly increase
production.”
‘we are able to now
complete two lots of gas
filling at the same time’
Chris Kemp, Director at Inagas adds:
“Having put a lot of work into launching the
Interfill range, it’s fantastic to see that this has
paid off to the benefit of our customers.”
JUN 2014
9