Swindon’s recession-hit car industry has received a double dose of good news as the town's two car plants made significant announcements. At Honda, the first production models of its latest made-in-Swindon car – the new Civic Tourer – rolled off the production line at the massive plant on the outskirts of the town last...
The Manufacturing Advisory Service has appointed a supply chain specialist in the South West to ensure that manufacturers gain a significant share of the lucrative opportunities presented by the UK’s burgeoning offshore wind market. Nick Kirsop-Taylor, pictured, will help firms tap into the recently-launched £20m GROW:OffshoreWind service that supports companies looking to break into...
Efforts to get more South West firms to export are being stepped up after new figures showed the first fall in overseas sales from the region for more than a year. Exports by value dropped by 3.3% in the third quarter to £3.32bn, sparked by a fall-off in h a fall in trade within...
Innovative medical group Corin has secured a significant re-finance package that provides working capital to invest in its future growth. The Cirencester-based group will use the funding to take its latest state-of-the-art reconstructive orthopaedic devices onto the global market. The re-financing was arranged by moving its banking facility to Barclays. The firm, established in...
The West of England’s strength in the automotive and aerospace sectors is creating strong conditions for smaller firms in their supply chains with most expecting to increase staffing and investment over the next three months. According to the latest Manufacturing Outlook survey published today by manufacturers’ organisation EEF and accountancy and business advisory firm...
Sales have increased for more than half the West’s small to medium-sized West manufacturers over the past six months, with just over a third also experiencing an increase in inquiries and orders. The upbeat picture emerges from the Manufacturing Advisory Service’s latest Barometer, which also reveals a slight rise in the number of companies...
Logistics group Howard Tenens, which has major operations in Swindon, has reinforced its commitment to cutting carbon emissions and operating in a sustainable way by buying 36 dual-fuel trucks this year. The vehicles, which use compressed natural gas (CNG) and diesel, are among 42 new trucks bought this year by the group. Their arrival...
Bosses at Wiltshire manufacturer Avon Rubber today said their strategy to accelerate investment in new products, technologies, systems and people was paying off as they unveiled significant increases in revenues, operating margins and profits. Annual pre-tax profits at the Melksham-based group, best known for its respirators, increased to £14m from £11m on revenues up...
Swindon’s rapidly-recovering industrial property market has received a major boost from Network Rail, which has signed a deal to occupy one of the town’s largest vacant warehouses. The railway infrastructure group, which owns and manages the UK’s rail network, is to use the 150,000 sq ft building on the town’s Groundwell Industrial Estate as...
GWP, the packaging group based in Cricklade, has launched a new division to meet increasing demand for specialist Correx packaging. A lightweight-but-durable ‘corrugated’ polypropylene sheet material, Correx is also chemical and water resistant. As a result it has become the material of choice for packaging in sectors ranging from automotive to construction and is...
