News: Casting call for Cti expansion

The University of Sheffield has begun the tender process for its latest expansion on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham.

A 13,000 sq ft extension to the existing Casting Technology International (Cti) facility is being planned so that it can become the only place in the UK that can produce large scale titanium castings for the next generation of aircraft.

The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing is a world class centre for advanced machining and materials research for aerospace and other high-value manufacturing sectors. It acquired internationally renowned Cti and Titanium Castings (UK) Ltd, the subsidiary that manufactures castings from titanium alloys, last year.

Also based on the AMP, Cti is a member-based organisation with unrivalled capabilities in casting design, materials development and selection, specifications, manufacturing technologies, quality control, testing and performance.

A £7m government grant as part of the Aerospace Growth Partnership will fund the new facility at Cti which will allow companies within the aerospace industry to develop the capability to melt and manufacture precision castings in the UK instead of this work being carried out abroad.

The UK metal casting industry is a key player in the global market, adding £2.6bn a year to the UK economy. The Sheffield city region has a high concentration of foundries and the Cti investment will ensure that the UK's aerospace supply chain can develop new capabilities to produce large thin-walled titanium castings, and win a significant part of the growing global market for these components.

The extension will cost around £2m with the furnace set to cost around £4.5m. It will enable The AMRC to carry out the flexible, "fast make" manufacturing of large scale, one-off aerospace pieces.

The new facility will be able to cast large structural parts with a poured weight of up to 1,000kg. Cti's current facility can make parts of 90kg poured weight. The extension will provide accommodation for new process equipment including a Titanium VAR Skull Melting Furnace, with associated infrastructure and external works.

Lighter than steel, titanium can withstand comparable loads better than aluminium, has minimal fatigue concerns, and is highly resistant to corrosion. There is a big opportunity for structural components to replace forgings in airframes and titanium use has been expanded on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to roughly 14% of the total airframe.

The process for large scale, high performance castings is not well researched and The AMRC believes that it offers major opportunities to develop new intellectual property.

Called "MEGAshell," Cti's process uses expendable polystyrene patterns which can be machined out of a single block or built up from machined polystyrene parts. Replacing traditional sand moulds, castings can be manufactured to the integrity normally associated with the lost wax process, but of a size and weight far beyond the capability of a process with a pedigree of manufacturing civil aero-engine blades and vanes.

German giant, Siemens used the process to make components for industrial gas turbines called "spoke frames." The frames are the first parts of the engine to encounter the exhaust gases after combustion and play a critical part in the engine's performance.

Using the technology developed by Cti allowed Siemens to make shapes that were not previously manufacturable. That resulted in a 40% reduction in the spoke frame's weight, minimising manufacturing costs, improving performance and reducing CO2 emissions by 113 kilo tonnes.

Cti's additive manufacturing technologies have also helped global pump specialist Sulzer create rotating components for use in a major oil pipeline and to create sand moulds using reverse engineering techniques that enabled a company that rebuilds historic cars to recreate the engine of a 1927 Alfa Romeo158.

Richard Gould, commercial manager at Cti, said: "Improved performance, reduced energy consumption and lower costs are essential if manufacturers are to be competitive and meet new challenges.

"Cti is proud that it has been able to develop the technologies that make that possible for companies ranging from Small and Medium-sized Enterprises to global giants."

AMRC website

Images: Harworth Estates / AMRC

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News: Improving skills will strengthen economic growth

Writing in a guest blog for the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Nigel Brewster, LEP board member and partner at Brewster Pratap Recruitment Consultants, discusses the need to raise the skills levels of the workforce in order to rebalance the local economy ensure that businesses are globally competitive.

LEPs are the government's new model to promote economic development. With input from the private sector, they provide the strategic leadership required to set out local economic priorities, and better reflect the natural economic geography of the areas they serve. The city region has secured £295.2m from the Government's Local Growth Fund, the single pot that brings together funding for housing, infrastructure and skills.

Last year, the nine local authorities that comprise the Sheffield city region agreed to create a new legal body that would have responsibility for transport, economic development and regeneration.

Tomorrow's Autumn Statement from the government is set to contain details of further growth deals and devolution which could see tax and spending powers transferred to new combined authorities.

Here is Nigel's post in full:

Type "Northern Powerhouse" into your search engine and you'll get over four million results. Right now the phrase is rarely out of the spotlight with most of the rhetoric centred on long overdue investments in transport infrastructure in the North.

However, what gets missed by the headlines is that the most important driver to creating a Northern economic powerhouse will be improving its skills base. A recent think tank report showed that Sheffield City Region has experienced rapid job growth over the past decade – placing our area among the fastest growing in terms of job numbers in the UK. Whilst it is great news that unemployment is falling, getting people into jobs isn’t enough on its own. For real, sustainable growth we need people to be able to get better quality jobs with better pay, and to do that we need give them access to the right skills training.

The Sheffield City Region, alongside Leeds and Manchester, is in the vanguard of City Regions to be devolved new powers. And this isn't devolution for devolution's sake – or for the sake of a few headline-grabbing frontpage articles. We’re at the forefront because we believe that local leaders and businesses have a better understanding of how to grow our local economy than ministers and civil servants in London.

We're in talks with government right now to do a deal which will take us another step closer to being able to achieve our vision to create 70,000 jobs and create 6,000 businesses over the next decade. Improving the way in which skills training serves the needs of both businesses and individuals will be at the heart of our deal.

I work in the recruitment industry and my work brings me in to contact with business leaders from many different industries. What they tell me is that, although the government funded training they access is good, it isn't giving their businesses the skills training they need to grow. I also get to meet many truly brilliant and very capable young people – people who are often already highly skilled but don't have the skills that will get them a job which equals their abilities. It is little wonder then that more than 1 in 10 people in the North consider themselves to be underemployed – we all know people who are highly skilled but can’t demand better wages because their skills don’t match the needs of their employer.

In the Sheffield City Region we're creating a skills programme designed to accelerate economic growth by closing the gap between what businesses need and what skills training is available. The way in which the skills system is currently set up focuses on "learner demand." Whilst this rightly gives people the ability to select the training, skills and qualifications they find of interest, it is not designed to maximise a business’s growth potential. Our LEP, with the private sector at our core, is taking control of the skills system so it better responds to "business demand" – to give businesses the ability to ensure the skills system provides the skills they need to grow.

Sheffield City Region LEP has already started this journey by successfully negotiating devolved funding from central government to create a locally managed "Skills Bank." The idea behind the Skills Bank is to give employers greater purchasing power and control in how government funded training is accessed by making skills based "growth deals" directly with businesses. These deals will provide government funded training that is directly linked to unlocking business growth – areas which link to real business concerns, like exports and emerging markets for example. This means businesses will be able to see real returns on their skills investments. Our deals will also offer greater flexibility in the type of training that is available, making it easier for businesses to participate in all levels of training from apprenticeships to higher education.

It is clear that we need to raise the skills levels of our workforce if we are to rebalance the local economy and if our businesses are to be globally competitive. As our economy recovers, hard to fill vacancies will continue to increase and skills gaps in key sectors will grow.

Through the Skills Bank, and the outcome of any future deals with Government, we are taking some big steps in the right direction, but we're far from a cure-all for these complex issues. The LEP will work hard with the many high quality colleges and training providers that exist in the Sheffield City Region to ensure our workforce has access to the skills they need to fulfil their potential and the potential of our economy.

Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership website

Images: Brewster Pratap

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News: Trans-Pennine tunnel study and Mottram bypass announced

The government has announced an ambitious £15 billion plan to triple levels of spending by the end of the decade to increase the capacity and condition of England's roads, with the main new project for the Sheffield city region being a study into the viability of a tunnel under the Pennines to link Manchester and Sheffield.

In March, consultation work began to explore the options for improving trans-Pennine road links between the Sheffield City Region and Greater Manchester. The Department of Transport (DfT) and stakeholders on both sides of the Pennines looked at the issue, seen as key to the economic fortunes of the North, with the DfT set to procure a feasibility study to look at trans-Pennine connectivity.

The consultation followed from a meeting at the start of the year, when Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, Stephen Hammond MP, met with regional key figures including Members of Parliament from both side of the Pennines, the leaders of Sheffield and Rotherham councils, representatives from Barnsley Council and chambers of trade and commerce representatives.

The study was set to be completed in the latter half of 2014 to coincide with the publication of its Road Investment Strategy at the time of the Autumn Statement. Published today, the strategy sets out a clear vision and a stable, long-term plan and performance expectations. It includes a commitment to a study into "the feasibility of building a trans-Pennine tunnel to address the strategic gap between Sheffield and Manchester, that would transform capacity and reduce congestion while still preserving the tranquillity of the Peak District."

The Woodhead Pass corridor, with all of its problems, is the only real option for all vehicle classes. In 2012 an independent report by consultants URS identified a combined economic benefit of a 15-minute journey time saving over 60 years of £1.2 billion. In July 2009 the Highways Agency withdrew a proposed scheme for a bypass between Mottram and Tintwhistle after estimated costs climbed from £200m to £300m.

This week, the government, announced that it will be investing £170m on the A57, A628 and A628 trans-Pennine route, including a bypass for the village of Mottram.

Earlier this year, One North - a strategic proposition for transport in the North from the city regions of Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield - put forward proposals for a new 125 mph trans Pennine rail route by 2030, connected to the HS2 lines and the existing rail network, tunnelled as needed, linking the five city regions together with Manchester Airport and the ports. A new freight route across the Pennines was also being put forward.

The target is to reduce the rail journey times between Sheffield and Manchester to 30 minutes.

Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg MP recently called for a fully upgraded and electrified network between Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield by 2025, better rolling stock to improve commuter routes in the north – also by 2025, and a programme of improvements for the Woodhead Pass road link between Manchester and Sheffield.

Also in today's announcement, and building on the Smart Motorway schemes on the M1 between junction 28 and 31 and 32 and 35a through Rotherham, the Government has also announced a similar scheme from 35a to 39 which will eventually see hard shoulder running up to junction 42 at Lofthouse before Leeds.

Images: tameside.gov.uk

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News: AMRC Training Centre recognised for widening participation

The AMRC Training Centre in Rotherham has helped the University of Sheffield win a national education award for its outstanding support in inspiring students to achieve their academic dreams and providing the best foundations for their future careers.

Part of the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing, the AMRC Training Centre is a £20.5m facility on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP).

Backed by a £9.2m government grant and funding from companies, the state of the art centre opened on the Waverley site last year. The focus is on 250 students aged from 16 upwards, taken on paid apprenticeships with opportunities to progress on to postgraduate courses, doctorates and MBA levels. Sponsoring companies range from global leaders such as Rolls-Royce and Tata Steel to local high-tech supply-chain companies.

Winning the Widening Participation Initiative award at the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards 2014 reflects the exceptional achievements of the first full annual cohort of 250 Advanced Apprentices.

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, Professor Sir Keith Burnett, said: "I am thrilled that the work of the University of Sheffield and in particular our Advanced Manufacturing Research Training Centre on advanced vocational education has been acknowledged with this wonderful award.

"Our apprentices show what is possible when universities and companies come together to address real skills needs in the context of world-class research."

Alison Bettac, director of training at the AMRC Training Centre, added: "We are delighted to win the Widening Participation Initiative of the Year Award.

"We believe we have created a blueprint for bridging the manufacturing skills gap and promoting social mobility at the same time. Many of the Training Centre apprentices would never have considered going to university.

"In addition to getting a high-quality vocational education, skills and access to employment, they are also taking the first step on a road that could lead to undergraduate and post graduate degree courses, funded by their employers.

"Our apprentices tell us they value being employed, instead of going direct to university and then struggling to find a job. They also say that if they do go on to study for a degree, having a ready-made understanding of how industry works gives them a sound foundation for their studies."

The University of Sheffield also picked up awards at the event in London for its #weareinternational campaign in the International Strategy category and for supporting researchers through its Think Ahead scheme, a research-led framework for the professional development of researchers, supporting individual career ambitions in and beyond academia.

AMRC Training Centre

Images: AMRC

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News: S2S shred across Europe

S2S Group, one of the leading players in electronics manufacturing, asset recovery and electronics recycling, has recently returned from a successful shredding tour of mainland Europe.

Consolidating its sites in 2012, S2S is based at Manvers and specialises in data destruction, asset management and WEEE recycling. Parts of the group provide asset recovery, secure destruction and the recycling and refurbishing of old electronic equipment including computers and mobile phones. Other parts specialise in the design and manufacture of circuit boards and associated products for the rail and power generation industries.

Secure data destruction experts from S2S were entrusted by clients to take their mobile shredder and securely destroy a range of media devices (including hard drives and tapes) at sites across Europe. The team completed secure shredding jobs in Paris and Frankfurt before finally making a secure collection in Brussels. 

Chris Hare, business development director at S2S Group said: "Our clients are used to a high level of service and security from S2S. This is what sets us apart from other data destruction companies. Clients know they can trust us with their sensitive data and when they have a requirement for our services at sites out of the UK they don’t want to risk using anyone else."

Back in Rotherham, S2S Group has once again been awarded accreditation from Safecontractor, a leading third party accreditation scheme which recognises very high standards in health and safety management amongst UK contractors.

Rachel Hall, operations manager at S2S said, "S2S's renewal of the Safecontractor accreditation was driven by our need for a uniform standard across the business.

"This is the third year we have held the accreditation and shows our commitment to achieving excellence in health and safety."

The accreditation should help to secure further contracts and as the public become increasingly aware of data protection and the WEEE recycling sector continues to grow, S2S Group has increased their team of recycling advisors to deal with the growing number of enquiries in to the business.

Sheridan Birks and Ryan Tubbs have been recruited to join the team at the Rotherham site as recycling advisors and have been quickly learning about the range of recycling and data destruction solutions offered by S2S Group.

S2S Group website

Images: S2S

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