About: Alex Shelton

Traditionally, UK manufacturers have tended to set up quality and business manuals for each area covered by the relevant standard e.g. ISO 9001 (Quality), 14001 (Environmental), 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety). Each manual has traditionally been set up and audited separately, but the structure of the ISO compliant manuals nowadays is exactly the same – the famous ten clauses beginning “About the organization” (1), “Normative references” (2), “Terms and definitions” (3), “Context of the organization” (4) etc.

The trend is to have one quality/business manual covering all areas to avoid duplication and drastically reduce audit costs. Outside the automotive and aerospace standards, the areas covered are typically the three cited above. Procedures across all areas are referred to in the integrated business manual and kept in linked subsidiary files for reference.

MD Rob Pickersgill comments “The certification bodies we have spoken to are all in favour of this approach and it is certainly a more efficient way to do this.”

If you would like more information on this, please speak to Rob at W Hallam Castings 01405 813006 or 07983315292 or contact him by email on sales@hallamcastings.co.uk.

In March, Hallam MD, Rob Pickersgill, attended an important MAKE UK regional meeting at the AMRC, University of Sheffield, which included a tour of AMRC facilities exclusively for MAKE UK delegates. The meeting was held on the day after the Chancellor’s Spring Statement and MAKE UK’s Bhavina Bharkhada presented a summary of the Statement for attendees.

Rob comments “In my opinion, and I stress that this is a personal view, the overriding sentiment amongst delegates was profound disappointment with the content of the Statement. In particular, there doesn’t seem to be any sign of a new Industrial Strategy emerging, setting out any kind of vision for the future of UK manufacturing and identifying areas for meaningful support. Areas such as energy costs, staff shortages, training needs and capital investment funding, for example. The feeling was that any improved help announced (e.g. investment zones, childcare support, support for over 50s returning to work) was not going to have a material impact.”

In December, BBC Breakfast News visited Hallam to examine the effect of rising energy costs on a manufacturing business using energy intensively. Operations Manager, Colin Woodruff, explained that energy costs were now a major issue for UK manufacturing companies, with costs being much lower in the Far East and the USA. With hindsight, Hallam was fortunate to have secured 3 year contracts for electricity and gas supplies at the beginning of 2022, but would nevertheless be seeking to reduce consumption through innovative investment in advance of renewal in 2025.

Hallam’s MD, Rob Pickersgill, is a member of the Cast Metals Federation Net Zero panel taking part in national level discussions with Government on energy policy, including investment incentives for manufacturers.

Hallam’s Kyle Walker, IT graduate and automation engineer, presented a paper on “Industry 4.0 – Implementation in Practice” at Doncaster MBC’s Engineering and Manufacturing Forum at Unipart Rail’s headquarters in Doncaster on 11th November.

Other speakers were from the University of Birmingham and the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, University of Sheffield.

Kyle’s paper identified the key benefits of adopting Industry 4.0 principles including system integration for improved management information, providing an information platform for “lean” and “agile” manufacturing models, and allowing “blockchain” techniques to be applied to supply chain monitoring for complete transparency.

Operational Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), through the generation of predictive preventative maintenance schedules, would also improve. Industry 4.0 pathways also lead to the worlds of Machine (artificial) Intelligence and Virtual and Augmented Reality.

A fascinated audience was keen to ask many questions at the end of Kyle’s presentation!

One aspect of the recent depressing Bank of England economic forecast for 2022/23 which may actually be good news for UK manufacturers is the US dollar’s projected strengthening against the British pound by 7-10% over the next 12 months.

Hallam’s MD, Rob Pickersgill, comments “coupled with shipping cost escalation and delays, the situation in Ukraine and Taiwan, together with other global supply chain difficulties, sourcing or re-sourcing in the UK must be an attractive proposition for UK-based manufacturers. Of course there are domestic supply-side problems, but at least we have a clear idea of what they are, and we have a better chance of resolving them than those that are completely outside our control overseas. The prospect of a strengthening dollar and consequent increase in sterling import prices for product components adds weight to the argument”.

The Hallam technical sales office can be contacted on 01405 813006 option 1, anytime.

The “skills gap” in UK engineering is well publicised. The OECD has identified a gap in the UK in terms of the provision of intermediate and technical level skills and recent research by the CIPD has established that the apprenticeship system is not functioning well for younger people. Unemployment for 16–24-year-olds is over 10%, compared to 3.8% for the Economy as a whole (July 2022, ONS).

The ONS also reports that overall economic inactivity in the labour force has increased by 522,000 to December 2021 compared to December 2019, 493,000 of these “Inactive” former employees being over 50 years old with skills desperately needed by manufacturers.

According to Hallam HR Manager, Amie Birchall “In the circumstances, it is logical that our recruitment strategy is now based on attracting 16-24 year-olds to join high quality apprenticeship schemes based at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), together with flexible working schemes, particularly for the over 50s, who are simply fed up of rigid work patterns such as continental shifts. In older life many have developed outside interests, often during lockdown, and want to be able to continue to pursue these interests. Employers have to recognise this as the over 50s are voting with their feet at the moment”.

Subject to health and safety requirements contracts may be based on flexitime, part time working, job sharing, task-based assignments, compressed hours, annualised hours, increased holiday entitlement and even working from home if practicable. “For the prospective employee, any proposal for working arrangements will be considered” commented Amie.

Hallam has been invited to join the Cast Metals Federation’s Net Zero panel, set up recently to explore ground breaking foundry technology and inform Government about industry challenges and responses.

The Panel is examining technologies using alternative energy sources and fuels (including green and blue hydrogen) and the potential for optimizing energy efficiency in manufacturing through technological innovation. Hallam’s Operations Manager, Colin Woodruff, is leading an IT-based project to conserve furnace energy use in Hallam’s foundry division. “Sensors will detect the approach of auto-ladles to each furnace and each furnace lid will automatically be removed to allow access to the ladle. As the ladle withdraws the lid will automatically be replaced over the furnace to conserve heat”.

Hallam estimates that 25% energy savings will be achieved by introducing this system alone.

In January 2021 Hallam took delivery of a British-made Aberlink Axiom too 600 CNC CMM. Fast, accurate and reliable, the Axiom too is a fully motorized moving bridge type CMM with Aberlink 3D geometric measurement software for CNC applications, providing a genuine graphical interface.

The Axiom CMM allows measurement requirements to be undertaken efficiently and speedily. Each component is placed in a purpose-made fixture on the bed of the CMM and measurements at different points on the component are taken automatically by the machine. The machine is housed within a Kaiser + Kraft (UK) Limited modular inspection office on the shop floor next to the CNC machining centre.

This initiative follows Hallam winning new contracts to develop and supply product in volume to a major UK-based electric vehicle manufacturer, where PPAP techniques must be deployed. Further contracts (generating higher volumes and additional jobs) depend specifically on productivity improvements in component measurement for statistical process control. The CMM also improves efficiency where sampling techniques are employed for process capability assessment (e.g. Cpk).

The improvement in throughput rate arises from the programmability of the machine, allowing the storage and recall of measurement instructions for specific components and products, and from the motorisation of the sensor head permitting rapid movement to the reading points. The system also interacts fully with CAD systems including the Solidworks Professional and Camworks software used by Hallam. Measurement instructions can be specified via these links: a CAD model for the component or product being measured can be recalled and measurement points specified via a graphical link to the model.

Hallam’s Managing Director Rob Pickersgill was invited to join the panel of MAKE UK’s “Levelling Up” webinar on 26th November discussing MAKE’s report on regional disparities in manufacturing in the UK. The panel consisted of Rob plus:

Ed Miliband, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Steve Fogg, Chair of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership and NP11 Innovation Lead

Neil Sevitt, Partner and Head of Manufacturing for Yorkshire and North East Region, RSM

MAKE’s report identifies significant differences in productivity and income per head across the regions and the panel answered questions from the large webinar audience about how these differences should be addressed, including the role of general infrastructure spending in the levelling-up process. The importance of devolution of spending powers to Mayoral Authorities and LEPs for local infrastructure spending and business support was also emphasized. Ed Miliband pointed out that the Government’s Industrial Strategy Report had given a commitment of support to the regions but in many cases, funding had not yet materialised. Rob pointed out that funding support for manufacturers seeking to increase their productivity was also required.

MAKE UK’s “Levelling Up” webinar

In November Vimpex Managing Director, James Jones, and Marketing Director, Charlotte Eames visited Hallam to see the production of alarm system products commissioned during the summer. Vimpex is a highly regarded major specialist UK supplier of technical rescue products and PPE safety equipment designed for emergency services teams.

Vimpex MD James said “We are in great hands with these guys. Each element – gong performance, consistency of output and aesthetics are monitored and controlled by Hallam’s attention to detail and their very long experience of aluminium casting. The ClamBell is a genuinely U.K. manufactured product and will be ready for sale to our European and Worldwide customers. The Bell is dead, gong live the (Clam)Bell!”.

It was an interesting day for both Vimpex and Hallam, as Hallam Operations Director, Colin Woodruff, explained the entire process of manufacturing the aluminium bell gong to James and Charlotte.

Hallam MD Rob Pickersgill said “It was great to welcome the team from Vimpex – our staff thoroughly enjoyed the day. Hallam is proud to be part of Vimpex’s manufacturing supply chain and we are currently working on developing the powder coating finish to achieve something really outstanding”.

Thank you for a great day to James and Charlotte and Hallam looks forward to seeing you again soon.