Based in the UK, Annunziata joins Alva’s Commercial team and will lead the company’s Product Management and Applications Engineering activities. His role will focus on strengthening Alva’s product strategy and ensuring close alignment between product development, application requirements, and customer needs.

Annunziata brings extensive experience across product management, applications, and engineering within industrial motion and automation. His combination of technical and commercial experience will support Alva as the company continues to develop its motor portfolio and strengthen the support it provides to customers across demanding applications.

In his new role, he will work across Alva’s commercial and technical teams, helping translate market and application requirements into product priorities while supporting customers in identifying the right motor solutions for their applications.

"What attracted me to Alva is the combination of groundbreaking technology and a team with the ambition to redefine what electric motors can achieve," said Annunziata. "FiberPrinting is setting a new benchmark for lightweight, high-precision motion systems, and I’m excited to work alongside this talented team to shape a compelling product portfolio, unlock new applications, and accelerate Alva's path to market leadership."

The appointment further strengthens Alva’s commercial organisation and its ability to connect customer and market requirements with product development.

www.alvaindustries.com

Apprentices (existing and qualified), now make up 20% of its entire workforce, as they are so able and respected, they now run the entire manufacturing operation each Friday.

The family run firm, which turns over more than £20m per annum, is about to be thrust into the national spotlight, having been chosen to be at the centre of the UK’s inaugural Vocational Celebration Day. Taking place a week before A Level results are announced, Vocational Celebration Day takes the form of a live YouTube stream, hosted by TV presenter, author, former apprentice and skills campaigner Steph McGovern.

The new initiative, powered by the former Sector Skills Council, Enginuity and awarding organisation EAL, is designed to shine a spotlight on the important contributions of vocational training and skilled trades to the nation's prosperity. Set to be observed every year on the first Thursday of August, the day honours those whose passion, expertise, and dedication in vocational fields form the backbone of the UK’s economy and society.

"Apprentices, both current and qualified, now make up 20% of our production workforce and play an essential role in the future of the business. They provide energy, vigour, new ideas and an ongoing engagement with the local community right on our doorstep," said MD Tom Teagle.

"Our established apprenticeship programme helps us develop the practical skills, engineering knowledge and experience needed to support the company’s sustainable long-term success. We set high standards from the outset, giving our apprentices the skills, confidence and experience needed to take responsibility for machine shop production every Friday.

"As a mainstay for skills provision in our advanced manufacturing operation, our programme is central to shaping the future of our business."

www.enginuity.org 

The appointment formally recognises Dalton's leadership of the Wolverhampton-based software developer and comes as the business builds on the successful launch of its new jobsafe mobile safety reporting app while preparing to introduce further cloud-based products, including jobwin.

She brings extensive senior management experience gained from leading businesses at executive level, including within a subsidiary of a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Her background in business transformation, operational management and technology strategy has helped shape jobmate's vision of delivering powerful, affordable cloud software that enables organisations to digitise operations without the cost and complexity traditionally associated with enterprise systems.

As CEO, Dalton will lead the company's strategic direction, product roadmap and continued investment in artificial intelligence to help customers improve efficiency, compliance and decision-making through smarter automation.

"Our ambition has always been to make enterprise-class operational software accessible to businesses of all sizes," she stated. "Cloud technology has transformed what is possible, and AI is creating another major shift in how organisations manage their operations. We are investing heavily in intelligent features that will help customers automate routine tasks, gain better business insights and make faster, more informed decisions.

"The launch of jobsafe is just the beginning. We have an exciting product roadmap, including the forthcoming launch of jobwin, and we're looking beyond the UK to international markets, particularly the United States, where we believe there is significant demand for simple, powerful cloud solutions."

Founded in 2018, jobmate develops cloud-native business software for organisations operating in sectors including transport, logistics, construction, engineering, manufacturing and field service. Its software is designed to simplify business processes, improve productivity and reduce operating costs by replacing traditional server-based systems with flexible, scalable cloud applications.

The recent introduction of jobsafe extends the company's portfolio by enabling incidents, hazards and near misses to be reported instantly from a smartphone, providing managers with accurate, time and location-stamped information to improve safety, compliance and operational performance.

Future product development will continue to focus on integrating AI across the jobmate platform, enabling customers to streamline workflows, automate manual processes and gain greater value from their operational data as the business continues its expansion into new markets.

jobmate.cloud

Mammoet was approached by Maersk Project Logistics to support with the inland transportation of a very large and heavy transformer from Hitachi Energy’s factory in Ludvika, Sweden.

Typically, these components are transported by rail; however, this new larger capacity transformer was too heavy, and so an alternative solution had to be found.

Collaborating with Maersk Project Logistics and Hitachi Energy, Mammoet suggested using its high-capacity girder frame trailer, the AL600, to get the transformer from factory to port. 

The frame spread the load over a greater distance, safeguarding road surfaces, and reduced the overall height of the transport to minimise disruption and civil work to prepare the route.

Close collaboration from the start

Because the large transformer exceeded the weight limit for rail transport in Sweden - road was the only viable option. Engineers at Mammoet proposed a solution that involved a configuration of conventional trailers combined with its high-capacity girder frame trailer, the AL600.

The AL600 allows extremely heavy cargoes to be transported inches off the ground, making it perfect for overcoming overhead obstructions, such as low bridges and power lines.

It was more than powerful enough to perform the job but needed to be slightly modified to meet the stringent lashing requirements of Hitachi Energy. This resulted in the design and fabrication of a specialist adapter for the frame.

Engineers from both sides came together, with Mammoet designing the adapter and Hitachi adjusting the design of the transformer so that it would interface smoothly.

Maersk Project Logistics managed all the requirements with respect to overall project management ocean transport routing and road preparation, with Mammoet assisting by providing supporting data for the required permits.

At one stage, Mammoet engineers assessed a section of the route near oak trees. A scan of the area was taken, and, from this, they assessed what adjustments needed to be made to avoid their removal.

100 meters over 130 kilometers 

As space inside the facility was limited, the girder frame was driven into the loading area on 2 x 14 lines of Mammoet Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs), as these offered greater maneuverability.

The transformer was then lifted into the frame using a 500t crane. Once the cargo was outside, the SPMTs were swapped for 2 x 19 lines of conventional trailers.

These conventional trailers were pulled by two prime movers and a hydraulic drive system, which gave extra power to the front six trailer axles, preventing the need for more trucks.

The convoy stretched nearly 100 meters in length and weighed more than 800 tonnes. Over two nights, it made the 130km journey from Ludvika to Koping Port.

One of the biggest challenges on the route was at the very start. Near the Hitachi factory are two railway lines with no road crossing. To pass the tracks, a temporary passage had to be created to connect the two roads at either side. 

“This was also one of the biggest challenges when it came to the schedule,” explains William Soeters, project manager at Mammoet.“We had a time window of just three hours to get everything prepared, for the convoy to pass the tracks, and then remove all the materials to allow access for the trains. Had this been missed, it would have caused significant disruption.”

When the convoy arrived at Koping Port, the AL600 was partly dismantled and several of the conventional trailers were decoupled.

The remaining trailers then loaded the transformer onto the vessel, via a RoRo operation, and remained onboard for a one-day sailing to the larger Swedish port of Norrköping.

At Norrköping Port, the transformer was offloaded and driven to a laydown area until it was collected by a heavy-lift vessel bound for China.

For this second load-out operation, the transformer was picked up and driven to the quayside, allowing the heavy-lift vessel to lift it on board using its crane. 

This project demonstrates how Mammoet’s engineers can problem solve and create solutions to achieve feats that weren’t previously possible.

www.mammoet.com

By bringing drives, motors, gearboxes, control equipment and PLCs together under one manufacturer, Technidrive can deliver complete, end-to-end systems that reduce integration complexity while improving visibility, connectivity and support.

The move is particularly valuable for applications where equipment performance must be monitored continuously, but reliable internet access cannot be guaranteed. This includes remote or mobile assets such as marine systems, where data must be captured locally and synchronised later so operators can retain a complete record of asset condition.

As a WEG Premier Partner, Technidrive already supplies the Brazilian manufacturer’s motors, variable speed drives (VSDs), gearboxes and control equipment. By adding WEG PLCs, the company can deliver fully integrated automation systems on a single control architecture, improving communication, reducing complexity and streamlining commissioning and support.

This approach has already been applied in a marine data acquisition project, where the customer needed a reliable way to monitor onboard assets despite inconsistent connectivity at sea. Technidrive deployed the PLC500 to track temperature, humidity and pressure across large vessels, storing data locally and syncing it when a connection is available. This allows the customer to retain a full record of asset conditions, so engineers can later identify environmental issues, check for pressure drops, spot early signs of deterioration and plan maintenance before faults cause failure or downtime.

"The ability to bring everything together under one manufacturer is a major advantage," explained David Strain, technical director at Technidrive. "Knowing the PLC has been tested alongside the drives, motors and control gear gives us confidence in system performance and reliability, while also helping to ensure smooth integration, faster installation and simpler support for our customers."

A key benefit of the PLC500 in this application is its remote connectivity. For vessels operating across different regions, internet access can be inconsistent or restricted. By storing information locally and uploading it once a connection becomes available, the PLC500 enables operators to maintain a reliable record of system performance over time.

Technidrive also highlighted the PLC500’s programming environment and human-machine interface (HMI) as important factors in its adoption. Built on the widely recognised CODESYS platform, the PLC supports multiple programming languages, including structured text, ladder logic, function block, sequential function chart and continuous function chart. This gives engineers the flexibility to work with familiar tools and adapt the system to different applications.

"The software and ease of development were major drivers for us," added Strain. "Our engineers can program in multiple languages, and the system is very intuitive to use. Combined with strong connectivity and remote access, it gives us a flexible platform for a wide range of applications."

With support for multiple communication protocols and networking options, the PLC500 can integrate with a wide array of devices and systems, making it suitable for industries ranging from marine and materials handling to quarrying, recycling, food processing and general manufacturing.

As part of WEG’s wider PLC portfolio, which includes models such as the PLC410 for medium-sized applications, the compact PLC20X for smaller systems and the PLC300 designed for operator interface and machine-level control, the PLC500 sits within a scalable ecosystem tailored to applications of varying size and complexity.

"PLCs are inherently flexible, so the opportunities are wide open," said Strain. "The experience has been very positive, and WEG’s PLCs give us a strong platform for future automation projects."

www.technidrive.co.uk

As the 2026 Commonwealth Games unfolds in Glasgow, vital performance technology may be almost invisible: hidden inside a handlebar, beneath a swimming cap or within an adapted grip made precisely for one athlete.

Additive Manufacturing UK (AMUK) says elite sport is one of the clearest proving grounds for additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing. From Formula 1 and track cycling to swimming and para-sport, AM allows engineers to remove weight, create aerodynamic forms, integrate internal lattice structures and manufacture individualised components without expensive tooling.

British cycling programmes have used additively manufactured cranks, seatposts, handlebars and fittings to pursue greater stiffness, improved airflow and rider-specific fit. Formula 1 teams use the technology to accelerate aerodynamic development, produce tooling and create functional parts at racing pace.

"Elite sport shows why additive manufacturing has moved far beyond a prototyping niche. When fractions of a second matter, engineers need lighter parts, faster design iteration and geometries that conventional manufacturing cannot easily deliver. Those same capabilities are strengthening production, supply chains and innovation across UK industry. Sport makes the benefits visible, but the industrial opportunity is much bigger," said Joshua Dugdale, head of AMUK.

The impact is especially powerful in para-sport, where equipment can be built around an athlete’s anatomy, movement and ergonomic requirements. AMUK member company 76 Additive designed and manufactured a combined grip and computer mount for British paratriathlete Claire Cashmore, used at Tokyo 2020. It has also produced lattice-structured aero bars for Drag2Zero, used by Britain’s Olympic gold medal-winning triathlon mixed relay team, and the EZ Gains Hydroglide, a swimming aid manufactured from rigid Multi Jet Fusion nylon and elastomer lattice Carbon DLS parts.

"Additive manufacturing lets us start with the athlete and the performance problem, rather than the limitations of a mould or cutting tool. Whether it is Claire Cashmore’s adapted grip, an aerodynamic cycling component or a hydrodynamic swimming product, we can refine fit, stiffness, weight and function rapidly, then manufacture the finished component repeatably. That is not novelty 3D printing; it is practical, high-performance production," stated Rob Johnson, founder and owner of 76 Additive. 

AMUK is encouraging spectators to look more closely during Glasgow 2026. Behind the medals and records, the decisive engineering advantage may be a component-built layer by layer.

additivemanufacturinguk.org.uk

The culprit? The new operating speed ran right into a structural natural frequency at 18.4 Hz, exciting the Air Cooled Condenser (ACC) motor and fan structure. Vibration levels soared to a worrying 14.09 mm/s RMS - well into the danger zone for long-term mechanical reliability.

Instead of accepting high wear-and-tear or avoiding the new process speed, the team at JPS Reliability designed, manufactured, and installed a custom Vibration Dynamic Absorber (VDA).

The results speak for themselves 

By clamping and tuning our bespoke VDA to the structural support, we changed the structural response of the system. Look at the dramatic drop in our live strip chart and time waveform:

• Before VDA: 14.09 mm/s RMS (Heavy, violent cyclic energy shaking the motor NDE)
• After VDA: 3.869 mm/s RMS * The Verdict: A massive 72% reduction in overall vibration levels!

Swipe through the images to see the VDA in action, the dramatic drop-off on the trend line, and the incredible reduction in the time waveform (Red = Before, Blue = After).

Why this matters

High vibration isn't just a nuisance; it's a ticking clock for bearing failure, structural fatigue, and unplanned downtime. By tackling the root cause (resonance) with a mechanical tuning solution rather than throwing expensive spare parts at a symptom, we've secured the asset's reliability at its new optimum process speed.

Got a stubborn vibration or resonance issue on your ACCs, cooling towers, or heavy rotating plant? Let’s talk.

👉 Contact JPS Reliability today to keep your plant running smoothly.

#VibrationAnalysis #ConditionMonitoring #ReliabilityEngineering #EnergyFromWaste #PredictiveMaintenance #MechanicalEngineering #JPSReliability #AssetManagement #ACC #PowerGeneration

For more information:

www.jpsreliability.com

[email protected]​

The new building also includes Motive Power Depot (MPD) offices and accessible welfare facilities. Designed as a dedicated learning environment, the MIC provides a space where experienced footplate crews volunteer their time to pass on specialist knowledge to volunteers and staff looking to develop their skills, gain practical experience and increase opportunities. 

This project was part-funded by the UK government through the Rural England Prosperity Fund, via North Yorkshire Council, with a £350k grant, alongside a £250k donation from Peter Best, a long-standing benefactor of the NYMR.

The facility replaces a Portakabin classroom that served the heritage railway for more than 30 years. The previous accommodation, along with the MPD offices and welfare at Grosmont, had become increasingly cramped and no longer met the needs of the workforce.

"As someone who is passionate about both preserving our heritage and securing our future, the opening of the MIC was a particularly special day - it represents the very best of our industry’s culture, and I am incredibly proud that we are continuing that legacy for future generations," said Laura Strangeway, CEO at NYMR. 

"I would like to extend my sincere thanks to North Yorkshire Council and Peter Best for their funding support, which has enabled us to create a dedicated space for learning, development, and the sharing of railway knowledge and skills. Their investment will help ensure that this proud tradition of education and professional development continues to inspire future generations.

"Days like today remind me why heritage railways matter. We are custodians of extraordinary history, but we are also innovators, educators, and a community united by passion, skill, and ambition," she added. 

MIC facilities have a rich heritage within Britain’s railways. Established during the Industrial Revolution, they enabled railway workers to educate one another by sharing technical knowledge, pooling resources, and teaching practical skills. While these societies gradually disappeared across the industry during the 20th century, the NYMR has preserved the tradition, making its new facility the last remaining MIC of its kind in the world.

www.nymr.co.uk

Unlike traditional industrial AI that monitors equipment or predicts failures, the third layer of IntelliAM’s Industrial Intelligence Platform, Enigma, utilises agentic artificial intelligence to understand production-line performance in context. 

"Britain's future productivity gains will come less from building new factories and more from improving the performance of the assets we already have," said Tom Clayton, CEO of IntelliAM AI. "Manufacturers do not have a data problem; they have a decision problem. The opportunity now is to use agentic AI to turn trusted industrial data into better operational performance."

The tech platform, a complete AI ecoystem, also directly addresses severe labour shortages. With vacancy rates in food and drink manufacturing remaining well above the wider sector average, the platform optimises existing human resources rather than trying to replace them.

IntelliAM already partners with half of the world’s top 12 food and drink manufacturers and Enigma was developed using over a decade of domain expertise alongside live deployment trials with leading brands like Müller, Hovis, and SKF.

At today’s London Stock Exchange launch, executives from Müller will speak about the tangible operational uplifts from their live trials. Across customer deployments, IntelliAM's technology has already delivered massive reliability gains, including a 215% improvement in the mean-time between failures at a single Müller site over a 12-month period.

IntelliAM’s comprehensive Industrial Intelligence Platform processes more than 16 billion industrial data points annually. Built on real factory-floor data rather than generic AI models, the complete ecosystem now seamlessly links three core capabilities:

• IntelliAM 53: Generates trusted, clean industrial data.

• Decipher: Provides deep operational understanding.

• Enigma: Deploys agentic AI to initiate intelligent operational action.

"Agentic AI represents the next stage in industrial transformation," Clayton continued. "With the Industrial Intelligence Platform, we have cracked the code of industrial performance. This is how people and machines will be managed.  This technology is about helping scarce expertise goes further.”

intelliam.ai

TV star Steph McGovern, a former apprentice engineer at Black+Decker in Teesside, is set to host the event, which will incorporate celebrations from workplaces and colleges across devolved nations and regions.

The new initiative, powered by the former Sector Skills Council Enginuity and awarding organisation EAL, is designed to shine a spotlight on the important contributions of vocational training and skilled trades to the nation's prosperity. 

Vocational Celebration Day, set to be observed every year on the first Thursday of August, honours those whose passion, expertise, and dedication in vocational fields form the backbone of the UK’s economy and society.

"The team at Teagle is looking forward to hosting this important celebration right here in Cornwall," said MD Tom Teagle. "Apprentices now make up 10% of our workforce, demonstrating the important role the programme plays within Teagle which was recognised by Enginuity during a recent fact-finding mission.

"As a mainstay for skills provision in our Advanced Manufacturing operation, our programme is central to shaping the future of our business."

The first Vocational Celebration Day is seen as an important milestone in bringing about a seed change in parity of esteem between academic and vocational pathways to work.

"I am delighted that the great work being done here in Cornwall to ensure sustainable skills provision is being recognised at a national level," stated Eric Nichols of the Cornwall Manufacturers Group. "This is a big boost for all those working tirelessly to get young people in to work and those helping manufacturers across the county secure growth and prosperity for all."

A special edition of the hit podcast Steph on Skills: Powered by Enginuity, goes live on 6 August, streamed live on YouTube and social platforms at 10.00 and will be fed to news networks. The programme will feature young learners from across the country, employers, educators and government leaders.

Devised and driven by Enginuity and awarding organisation EAL, Vocational Celebration Day aims to raise the status and profile of the thousands of young people who are doing their bit to build a better, more prosperous Britain. Although Enginuity and EAL operate in the engineering and manufacturing sector, they welcome involvement from the entire skills spectrum.

"This is brilliant news and long overdue," McGovern affirmed. “Why should academics have all the fun and glory? We have graduation days, A-Level Day, GCSE Day - now Vocational Celebration Day. I’ve been banging on for years about the need to celebrate vocational qualifications in the same way we do purely academic success stories. Let’s face it, vocational learners are the lifeblood of our country and yet have been left in the shadows.

"We want to make sure that this changes and these brilliant people get to celebrate in style," she added. 

Enginuity CEO Ann Watson characterised Vocational Celebration Day as "our gift to the entire skills and vocational community". "Congratulations to all those qualifying this year - this is a major achievement for those pursuing vocational careers. Take a bow, enjoy your moment in the spotlight and celebrate in the knowledge that you are well on the way to securing a rewarding career, that will be of benefit to you, your family and the country as a whole."

Across the United Kingdom, millions of individuals dedicate their careers to vocational pursuits: whether as skilled tradespeople, technicians, carers, culinary professionals, or creative artisans. These roles are the engine of progress, responsible for everything from keeping our lights on and our buildings safe to caring for our loved ones, crafting our cuisine, and driving innovation across sectors.

Vocational Celebration Day calls attention to the inherent value of learning by doing. As the world of work evolves, vocational training ensures that learners are ready to meet tomorrow's challenges, supporting economic growth, reducing skills gaps, and ensuring no talent goes untapped.

One of the defining strengths of vocational education in the UK is its inclusivity and social mobility. Vocational routes offer accessible pathways for people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities. From school leavers and career changers to those upskilling later in life, vocational training welcomes everyone with the ambition to learn and the desire to make a difference.

The flexibility of vocational learning, through apprenticeships, part-time study, and work-based training, ensures that opportunity is within reach for all. This inclusivity is vital for a fair and thriving society.

Behind every skilled professional is a story of ambition, determination, and achievement. Vocational Celebration Day highlights the journeys of individuals who have transformed their lives, and the lives of those around them, through vocational learning.

Vocational Celebration Day is a call to action for all individuals, employers, educators, and communities.

How to get involved:

• Employers can host open days, offer work experience opportunities, and share success stories of their workforce.
• Schools, colleges and training providers are encouraged to organise workshops and events that showcase vocational pathways and the talents of their students.
• Individuals can participate by sharing their vocational journey on social media using our dedicated hashtags: #VocationalCelebrationDay #CelebrateVocational

www.enginuity.org

www.eal.org.uk