CH2M pulls out of £170m HS2 deal
Engineering consultancy CH2M has pulled out of a £170 million contract to develop a section of the HS2 rail link amid concerns over alleged conflicts of interest.
CH2M had been chosen by HS2 to deliver phase 2b of the high-speed line, running from Crewe to Manchester and Birmingham to Leeds. However, the deal has been delayed as HS2 is reportedly investigating concerns from another bidder, Mace, that there may have been conflicts of interest.
Mark Thurston, HS2 Ltd's new chief executive, is a former CH2M employee, as was his temporary predecessor Roy Hill. It has been reported that dozens of CH2M employees are also on secondment to HS2.
CH2M released a statement insisting it has "taken all appropriate measures" in order to "ensure the integrity of the procurement process".
Westinghouse’s nuclear design wins approval
Westinghouse’s AP1000 nuclear reactor is suitable for construction in the UK, regulators have announced following completion of an in-depth assessment of the design.
The Office for Nuclear Regulation, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales said they are satisfied that the reactor meets expectations on safety, security and environmental protection at this stage of the regulatory process.
Atlantis secures Indonesia work
Tidal power company Atlantis Resources has expanded its presence in Indonesia after sealing a supply deal with a marine, subsea and renewable energy project developer.
The AIM-listed company will supply turbines, engineering services and equipment for a 150MW tidal-stream array located in Lombok to SBS International.
SBS has exclusive development rights to three offshore sites around the Lombok and Bali islands, which have a combined ocean energy capacity of 450MW, and front end engineering and design. An environmental impact assessment for the first phase 12MW capacity is expected to start this year.
Atlantis will establish a local facility for turbine assembly, testing and maintenance and a turbine manufacturing facility once orders for turbines exceed 100 units in Indonesia.
Raytheon hopes to create 200 jobs in Flintshire
Aircraft company Raytheon UK has opened a new hangar in Broughton, Flintshire which could create 200 new jobs over the next three years.
Raytheon, which employs 145 at the site, hopes to win contracts to provide spy planes to other countries.
The new Hangar 119 is equipped to completely overhaul the RAF's fleet of Sentinel surveillance aircraft – most of which were built by Raytheon.
The Welsh Government have invested £1 million in the facility.
Sony launches IoT research centre
A research centre for industry 4.0 will be launched at the Sony UK Technology Centre near Bridgend.
The Pencoed-based facility, which produces high definition broadcast and professional camera systems, has launched the Advanced Manufacturing Research Operations Centre in partnership with Sony Global Manufacturing & Operations Corporation in Japan.
The project will enable Sony UK TEC to tackle the challenges of modern manufacturing and improve processes by using the latest internet of things (IoT) technologies.
‘Fem-tech’ firm secures £4.8m funding
Health technology firm Chiaro has attracted £4.8 million of external investment to support the development of three more smart products addressing female health and wellbeing and help it expand into 25 countries.
Joining the round are Octopus Ventures, a leading tech investor and Allbright, a venture capital fund that invests in female entrepreneurs. It brings Chiaro’s total capital to £9.6 million.
Innovate UK awarded Chiaro a grant in its start-up phase, as it sought to leverage the latest developments in wearable technology and create a connected pelvic floor exercise tool, Elvie. Women can use their smartphones to find out how to strengthen their muscles and monitor progress.
Salford University to use digital tech to tackle natural disasters
The University of Salford has won a £1.2 million research grant to use digital technology to counter the impact of natural disasters, like floods, earthquakes and droughts.
The project, which will focus on South Asia, will address three global challenges as defined by the United Nations: leadership, urban resilience and adaptation of space and emerging technologies.
The team will implement a 3D environment that enables remote teams to get an accurate picture of disasters through near real-time 3D satellite data and analytics. Additionally, the project will test collaborative risk assessment by way of a digital platform which can map vulnerabilities and share information to aid in decision-making.
Stratasys to works with MTC
Stratasys, the 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions company, has partnered with the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) to demonstrate new processes and technologies.
The collaboration will see Stratasys work closely with the MTC to make additive manufacturing central to the projects undertaken in conjunction with its members, supporting the organisation’s role to research and advise industry on the technology’s capabilities across multiple platforms.
Partnership aims to boost manufacturing in West Midlands
Birmingham City University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the High Speed Sustainable Manufacturing Institute which will see academics link up with industry experts to provide new research, boost employability for students and create jobs in the region.
The organisations will aim to collaborate toward the wider promotion, success and positive impact on manufacturing in the West Midlands contributing to the development of the manufacturing base, presence, knowledge, scope and skills.
Dyson award opens for entries
The James Dyson Award, which celebrates, encourages and inspires the next generation of engineers, has opened for entries. The award looks for fresh ideas that solve an array of problems.
The international winner will win £30,000 and access a global platform to launch their idea.
The deadline for entries is 20 July. For more details see https://jamesdysonaward.org/