The Royal Academy of Engineering has highlighted that one key aspect of addressing the damaging shortage of engineering skills in the UK economy is reducing both gender and race inequality. Despite some movement in this area the Academy says that there remains much to be done to achieve gender equality in engineering careers.

When watching films or TV shows of a certain vintage, one can’t help noticing how ubiquitous the street phone booth was for everyday ‘real-time’ communication. And there seemed to be an awful lot of paper on desks in episodes of The Bill, accompanied by the incessant clatter of manual typewriters. Needless to say, things have moved on in leaps and bounds from a technological perspective in today’s business and social world (maybe except for the reams of paper that still seem to be on quite a few office desks).

The result of the recent election will undoubtedly reverberate for some time to come. What should have been a seasonally calm period period, leads many of us to contemplate how the number one concern for manufacturers - Brexit - will now finally play out.

There has been debate recently about whether the increasing level of automation in manufacturing and warehousing environments is posing a threat to people’s jobs. Ostensibly, this might seem to be a rational concern. So, what’s the truth? Although expensive to set up, Sophie Hand, UK country manager at automation parts supplier EU Automation, maintains that highly automated ‘lights-out’ manufacturing comes with a series of advantages, the first of which is increased profitability.