European Springs Web Team, Author at European Springs

Manufacturing is a highly professional industry that requires its workers to earn particular qualifications, leading to the current skills gap shortage troubling the sector. Recruiting skilled engineers and other production team members is a constant issue to fill all the current vacancies, but there are ways to fix this.

What Is The Manufacturing Skills Gap?

The manufacturing industry plays a prominent role in the UK’s economy. With over 270 thousand businesses in the manufacturing sector across the UK, it’s recognised as one of the most significant contributors to the UK economy.

Any business needs to adapt to thrive and evolve, including STEM industries. By implementing intelligent technologies such as big data, cloud computing and industrial IoT, managers can more accurately optimise their work processes and identify those areas that need improvement.

The skills gap is partially due to the rapid advances in smart technologies and automation that are helping increase the efficiency of the industry. However, whilst investing in these new technologies is a great idea, many people do not have the experience or qualifications to use them.

Unfortunately, there are many working positions unfulfilled across manufacturing and other STEM sectors. These vacancies are known as the skills gap. The manufacturing skills gap is not just a buzzword for low employment numbers; it is, in fact, a complex reality that many spring manufacturers face as there are more open positions than applicants to fill them.

Manufacturers National Contribution

Pressing manufacturers such as ourselves are among the many companies in our sector to account for 9.7% of the total UK economic output in 2021 (gross value added). At the start of 2022, manufacturing output was 0.8% higher than the previous month but 1.6% below the beginning of 2020. All of this was achieved with this sector 7.3% of the jobs positions available in the UK.

Current State of The Industry

The British chamber of commerce, early this year, reported in their quarterly recruitment outlook that there are record highs in recruitment difficulties. In addition, 79% of companies shared that they have problems filling positions. Companies have reported a broad range of issues that have contributed to this, such as the effects of Brexit and the pandemic.

Head of people policy, Jane Gratton, believes that these results highlight the continuing difficulties employers face in accessing the skilled labour they need and that such a loss will impact the country’s economic recovery. For example, as more compression spring manufacturers struggle to fill their skills gap, it will create a knock-on effect on their ability to provide products. This effect will continue adding struggles to an already pressured supply chain battling supply and demand.

Upskilling Your Team

One short term solution to the skills gap problem is to upskill your current workforce. Re-training and developing new skills is an excellent way to grow your existing team and address those areas with gaps. Additionally, focusing on automating easier processes will free up those team members to address the more complex parts of your business.

Another practical method for filling skills gaps with upskilling is implementing personal development plans (or PDPs). These help companies set goals for each employee and encourage their development as they learn the skills required.

By upskilling your team to your new equipment and procedures, companies are building well-rounded, multi-skilled workforces capable of filling those missing positions and increasing their businesses’ overall efficiency.

Investing In Young People

At European Springs, we believe that investing in new engineers supports us and benefits the industry as a whole. In addition, by increasing awareness of the advantages of STEM careers to students through various existing programs and apprenticeship schemes, the talent pool will be increased dramatically.

Continuing to promote our excellent apprenticeships is crucial to us as a company. We offer incredible schemes that follow the mechanical manufacturing apprenticeship framework and award BTEC Level 3 certificates in Engineering operations and maintenance.

Filling The Skills Gap

The way manufacturing companies react to this labour shortage will be an essential factor in deciding the future of the manufacturing industry. In order to prosper, the sector must embrace the initiatives already in place to attract new skilled people to enjoy a profitable career in STEM.

Scholarships, bursaries, and apprenticeships are all fantastic ways of increasing this awareness and are proving to address the skills gap successfully. In addition, male and female postgraduates students can apply for funding opportunities that will help them explore a career in manufacturing or any other sector under STEM.

Brunel University in London offers a mentoring program called Women in Engineering and Computing (or WIBEC) that encourages and supports female graduates and undergraduates to begin a fulfilling career in manufacturing.

The UK is home to many prestigious universities well known for innovation, research and creativity. This has created a reputation for top-ranked UK universities globally and has been providing STEM education in many forms for centuries. In addition, this positive relationship between these institutions and manufacturing companies have created a supportive network for job hunting or apprenticeship applications that makes it much easier for employers to find people to fill their skills gaps.

At European Springs, we manufacture a wide range of springs for many different industries and bespoke pressings and wire forms, so you’re always getting exactly what you need for your project, no matter its specifications.

Our extensive catalogue includes die springs, which are considered a version of compression springs. In this article, we’re looking at what these springs are, how they work and their applications.

What are Die Springs?

First things first, knowing what die springs are can help you decide whether they’re suitable for the application you have in mind.

As part of the compression spring family, these products are made to withstand applied stress. However, unlike other compression springs, die springs are made from rectangular wire and designed to handle considerable pressure. As a result, they can take a higher load (around 30% more) and are resistant to high temperatures, as they continue to function well up to 475^oC.

The use of rectangular wire makes all the difference since it boosts the efficiency of the spring by allowing it to store more energy in a smaller space when compared to traditional springs.

How Do Die Springs Differ from Other Compression Springs?

Die springs might be similar to compression springs, but they are purposefully created to handle a large amount of environmental stress, which is why they’re also known as high force compression springs.

These products are incredibly reliable and can be designed with various strengths, perfect for several different applications. Die springs can come with closed or open ends, depending on the product’s end use, and are also colour-coded according to strength.

This allows you to easily choose the correct spring for your project – we can also help you make a decision, so chat to us on 0208 663 1800 if you have any questions we can answer.

Benefits of Die Springs

We’ve already touched on some of the advantages of using these types of springs, but they provide many other benefits, such as the following:

Excellent performance in high-stress settings
Resistance to high temperatures
Available in several materials, including steel and chromium alloys
Variety of designs and sizes
Cost-efficient
Handle higher loads when compared to other compression springs
Resistant to wear and tear
Have a great degree of flexibility when it comes to their applications
Perfect for heavy-duty environments
Increased fatigue life
Reliable load-bearing surface
Consistency when it comes to dimensional requirements

Where to Find Die Springs?

As we’re die spring manufacturers, we understand these springs are crucial in applications that require a high degree of force in a small space, which is why you can usually find them in industrial settings, such as heavy-duty machinery.

Die springs are also used in:

Vehicles, including brakes and clutches
Aircraft engines
Farm equipment
Drills, such as those found in the oil and gas sector

So, it’s clear that these high force compression springs are typically used in factories, warehouses, the transportation industry, the agricultural industry, and more. This range of uses shows how highly versatile they are!

Quality Die Spring Manufacturing

Everyone at European Springs knows the importance of quality manufacturing when it comes to springs, pressings and wire forms, and this is true of all types of products, such as die springs.

We have many years of experience in custom spring design, which allows us to understand our clients’ needs and requirements, no matter how difficult they are or how demanding their industry or sector is.

Not only do you always receive products designed to last, but you can also be confident that our springs will be delivered to you promptly so that you can take your products to market faster.

How European Springs Can Help

As bespoke pressings and spring manufacturers, we can produce both rectangular and circular wire springs, which are suitable for different applications. When manufacturing a product, we take into account factors like the material of choice, the diameter of the wire and the size of the spring, and also the environment the spring will be used in.

This helps us ensure that you’re getting the right product for your needs. Sometimes, this can mean opting for traditional compression springs instead, as they may be the better option depending on your situation – for example, die springs are not always able to compress as much as their circular counterparts. This means that if you require a spring that can travel a lot, then a compression spring is likely the better option in that case.

Our die springs are perfect for heavy-duty use, as they offer an additional degree of resistance to environmental stresses, so browse our spring catalogue or speak to us if you’re looking for a custom-made product to meet your heavy-duty requirements.

If you’re unsure whether these products are right for you, we can help by advising on the best springs for your project – just get in touch for more information. We also offer a variety of other springs from compression springs and tension springs to torsion springs.

Manufacturing has always had a severe impact on the environment. The processes used in the past led to wasteful practices that were inefficient and also harmful to the environment, but fortunately, this is all changing.

We are in the midst of a profound change in one of the biggest industries worldwide. Across the UK, companies are committing to enforcing new procedures that will reduce carbon emissions, improve sustainability and bring the industry into the UK government’s Net-Zero 2050 plan. This article will discuss how we will reach this goal and become a more sustainable industry.

Waste Hierarchy

The waste hierarchy was introduced in 2011 as part of three different regulation schemes:

When considering their waste management plans, businesses must follow the hierarchy and encourage them to choose the most sustainable solutions. The waste hierarchy graphic shown here is a representation of this idea.

The concept is that every company will attempt to apply the highest step of the hierarchy to their waste scheme. They must only attempt the lower step if it is impossible to do the one above. So, for example, if prevention is not possible due to technical, financial or logistical issues, you try to reuse or recycle. Enforcing the waste hierarchy on your waste program is a national requirement. However, it is also a fantastic way of reducing your company’s carbon footprint.

As spring manufacturers, we regularly reassess our existing waste programs to ensure that we always carry out the highest step on the hierarchy possible.

Benefits of Recycling

There are more benefits to recycling than most people realise. Recycling isn’t just about saving the planet; it can be a way of significantly improving your financial situation as well.

Conserving natural resources gives them a longer lifespan. However, whilst in plenty, the world’s resources are at risk of diminishing. Fundamentally, manufacturing-specific resources such as metal, plastic and glass require more energy to create as raw materials than they do from recycled products. While paper and wood also fall into this category, we can offset this loss by planting more trees to compensate.

Reduced demand for Raw materials is just one advantage of recycling. Most raw materials require a vast industry to acquire and then transport to your manufacturing business, using even more energy and creating more harm to the environment. This process increases the costs and the production time for businesses; recycling can cut these impacts up to half in some cases.

Saving energy is another benefit. For example, the energy requirement for creating new:

Aluminium uses 95% more energy
Steel uses 70% more energy
Paper is 40% more energy

All of these and more can be manufactured at the same high quality for far less cost and energy, thanks to the manufacturing industry embracing the benefits of recycling.

Net-Zero 2050 Plan

The essence of the Net-Zero strategy is to create a balance between the carbon emissions produced and the carbon removed from the atmosphere. This balance makes it Net-Zero, which means we will finally reduce the harm done with increased carbon emissions.

It’s believed that with the success of the UK’s ecological initiative, other countries will follow the recommendation of the Committee on Climate change and enact their Net-Zero initiatives. This worldwide shift to reduced carbon will increase our chances of avoiding the 1.5°C temperature rise by 2100 to 50%.

The Net-Zero plan is called 2050, but considerable changes need to occur by 2030 to ensure we can reach the Net-Zero goal by the required time. The hope is that we not only reduce output but increase carbon removal or offset.

Current status

According to statistics released in 2021, we’ve already reduced our national emissions by 48.8% since 1990. This fantastic achievement is proof that these measures are adequate for the environment and practical for businesses.

At the end of 2021, a new poll run by Subcon revealed that 40% of UK manufacturers were without a sustainability policy. They surveyed 81 subcontract companies to disclose this data, but 95% of these did state that they claim to implement a policy by this summer.

As proficient compression spring manufacturers, we know that manufacturing is a highly energy-intensive industry. Each company must implement a policy to comply with the nation’s goal of reaching Net-Zero by 2050. But, with:

67% reusing or recycling materials
58% reducing their energy consumption
31% reducing their freight miles

Thanks to various government-assisted grants and electrical companies’ carbon offset plans, this initiative’s momentum are gaining speed. As a result, 2022 should see some significant changes across our national industry.

Innovation for a Bright Future

Established in 1948, we at European springs are the leading experts in custom spring design and bespoke pressings for the broadest range of applications. We are dedicated to not only providing our customers with the best springs and pressings, but we are also committed to meeting our ecological goals. We achieve this through reducing carbon and improving our sustainability with new, innovative processes.

If you have any questions about our products including compression springs, tension springs and torsion springs., please don’t hesitate to contact us, and one of our experts will happily answer your questions.

At European Springs, we’re proud of our long-term commitment to support the manufacturing industry with our apprenticeship schemes. We firmly believe that these schemes are a way of investing both in people and in the industry, with each successful candidate having a positive effect on the sector as a whole.

The past few years have been a struggle for the manufacturing industry at large. Many companies found it difficult to cope with the supply chain issues, talent shortage and gender gap. Whilst it seems now that there is an end in sight to most of the problems caused by the pandemic, the gender gap remains.

In this blog, we’re discussing the need for more inclusivity in manufacturing and the career opportunities available for women.

Addressing the Gender Gap

As prominent spring manufacturers, we are aware of the unfortunate truth that, whilst 48% of women do actively participate in the labour market, they make up only 29% of the manufacturing workforce. Some have noted this as a consequence of occupational segregation limiting women’s career roles in manufacturing. 2021 Make UK’s reportstates that only 8% of women take up apprenticeships in manufacturing due to the impression that it’s not for them.

As disheartening as these numbers read, we at European Springs are one among many companies that are committed to changing this by creating a more inclusive community that welcomes both men and women to successful careers in manufacturing. Much like the bespoke pressings service we offer, we believe that, for this industry to survive, you can’t limit yourself to just one way of doing things; you need to be flexible and adaptable to thrive.

More employers have begun to search actively for new graduates to become apprentices. There is always a constant demand for highly skilled people in the manufacturing industry, so women interested in exploring this part of STEM are valued resources.

Advantages of Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships’ contributions to the economy have been growing over the last decade. The CEBR report on productivity correctly predicted that £3.4 billion of the UK economy was due to the increased productivity of 3.8 million people completing their apprenticeships.

Apprenticeship schemes are a great way to get a hands-on experience of a career and potentially learn things easy-to-miss in the classroom (or that are simply not taught there). In addition, the ability to shadow an experienced member of the team combined with the supervised work can help someone new gain confidence in what they are doing. Apprentices will take, on average, 1-4 years to become fully qualified, but you will also be paid for your work during this time.

There are advantages for the employer as well. For example, the UK government has recently implemented a new incentive payments scheme for hiring new apprentices. This limited-time initiative is available until May 2022 but substantially assists companies who help their industry by taking on new apprentices.

The apprenticeships we offer at European Springs follow a nationally recognised mechanical manufacturing apprenticeship framework that will award certification at BTEC level 3 in engineering operation and maintenance. An NVQ in mechanical manufacturing engineering accompanies this; for more information on our apprenticeship schemes, please contact us.

Other Opportunities for Women in Manufacturing

All across the UK, there has been an increase in scholarships and bursaries to assist women studying for manufacturing positions. Additionally, apprenticeships for all young people have increased, thereby making it easier than ever to start a profitable career in the industry.

Brunel University in London offers a prestigious program for its graduates and undergraduates called Women in Engineering and Computing (otherwise known as WiBEC). This mentoring program supports young women who wish to enter a STEM career in engineering and manufacturing. With over 600 female students benefiting from the impartial advice from their industry mentors since 2014, this is a prime example of how accessible manufacturing has become for women.

More improvements have been made in the manufacturing industry beyond study and apprenticeships. For example, it’s been reported that 67% of manufacturers currently have an EDI in place (which stands for equality, inclusion and diversity), with those EDI plans reviewed yearly. These improvements have led to women making up 29% of the manufacturing workforce in the UK and 18% of the company boards.

Engineering Apprenticeships for Women

As the most prominent compression spring manufacturer in the UK, European Springs wholeheartedly disagrees with the idea that manufacturing is a gender-limited occupation. We celebrate the 23^rd of June every year as National Women in Engineering Day (NWED) because we believe that everyone should feel welcome when choosing to work in the manufacturing industry.

Hopefully, this blog will help inspire some of you to follow your passion and pursue the career in manufacturing you deserve. For more details on our apprenticeship programs, please don’t hesitate to contact us, and one of our experts can answer all your questions.

We at European Springs like nothing better than being able to talk to people in person when we attend the many industry exhibitions around the UK. As this spring approaches, we are proud of our high attendance at these important events, and we’d like to discuss what you can expect from us at such an exhibition as well as take a look at those we’ve attended so far this year.

Sharing Our Experience

We believe that these exhibitions represent a chance to not just meet people in person but to really connect with existing or (potentially new) clients in a more personal way than impersonal phone calls. Additionally, with so many attendees from across multiple industries, it’s a delight to regularly meet so many other professionals in manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, and defence.

We enjoy connecting with the broadest range of sectors when we attend these exhibitions. Just to name a few of the many audiences we are always eager to connect with:

Aerospace
Automotive
Construction
Defence
Electronics
Rail
Mining
Medical

Offering Unique Capabilities

We confidently believe that we are unique as spring manufacturers because we specialise in covering various disciplines. We pride ourselves on our design spectrum of wire forms alongside our ability to create bespoke springs ranging from 0.03mm to 65mm.

We have a lot to be proud of with our ability to manage both high and low production of pressings and multi-slides up to 130 tonnes with the aforementioned unlimited design spectrum of wire forms.

The Personal Touch

The effects of the pandemic can still be felt throughout the manufacturing industry as a whole, and European Springs was not left unaffected by that event. So we think it’s important now to work to raise our profile and improve our effectiveness at our exhibitions. That is why we embrace collaborations with our partners within the wider Lesjöfors family. You can learn more about our response to the pandemic in our other blog about the resilience of the manufacturing industry.

European Springs serve clients from the broadest range of industries and sectors you can imagine. We firmly believe that the quality of our manufacturing processes speaks for itself, and that’s why we stand out from the crowd with our contributions to the various renowned exhibitions that happen yearly.

Southern Manufacturing & Electronics

This was the first of the exhibitions we planned to attend this year. The Southern Manufacturing & Electronics exhibition is the most comprehensive of the industrial exhibitions we participate in in the UK. We firmly believe that networking and future innovation are a huge part of what we do. So meeting like-minded individuals from the impressively varied range of attendees showcased at this event is always very stimulating.

Data Center World

The Data Center World exhibition was an inspiring way to start March. This eye-opening exhibition is an excellent way for us to share our extensive knowledge and decades of experience face to face with suppliers and industry experts from various fields. With our experts in data-based manufacturing on hand, we were able to answer many people’s questions and enlighten them to the superior processes conducted at European Springs.

UK Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference

The UK manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference is an extraordinary meeting of technology to industry and one that we were happy to attend previously this year. On March 10^th, we were one of the featured exhibitors at the event in Milton Keynes. This event serves as a national forum for manufacturers and the various sections of the different supply chains across the UK. We were excited to be at this conference where key stakeholders from every part of British manufacturing can meet and connect.

Medical Technology UK

The Medical Technology UK exhibition was our most recent exhibition visit this year. Set at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, this was a chance for us to showcase our innovative solutions for custom spring design that can be implemented for new medical devices around the world.

By visiting our section at any one of the exhibitions later this year, you’ll find our experienced representatives eager to help with any of your queries.

High-Quality Pressings, Stampings and Wire Forms

European springs constantly strive to be the best solution for your requirements with bespoke pressings, springs or any wire forms you need. We confidently believe that our practices as an innovative, lean manufacturer combined with our exceptional engineering expertise have led us to be one of the UK’s top manufacturers of compression springs, tension springs, torsion springs and more.

If you are interested in seeing us in person, you can find out what exhibitions we are planning to attend on our website. So come along and meet the team and discover our product range; we look forward to meeting you.

If you’d like to discuss your needs with us, please don’t hesitate to contact us online today or call us at 0208 633 1800 to talk with one of our experienced team members.

The demands on spring manufacturers are at their highest when manufacturing suspension springs for vehicles. The automotive industry relies heavily on the highest-quality suspension springs for their vehicles.

As a prominent member of The Institute of Spring Technology and leaders in suspension spring manufacturing for decades, we understand the exacting standards required when manufacturing premium suspension springs.

In this article, we will be looking into more detail about this essential product from our extensive catalogue, the suspension spring.

What is A Suspension Spring?

Internationally, spring manufacturers have two names for this spring type, suspension spring and coil spring, but despite the different names, they both have the same applications.

You will find suspension springs in every road vehicle, from cars to motorbikes and even more industrial or agricultural machinery.

Suspension springs are an essential part of the automotive sector due to their application in vehicle suspension systems. They essentially take all the bumps out of the road and give you a much smoother ride.

How is A Suspension Spring Designed and Manufactured?

During our time manufacturing and supplying suspension springs around the globe, we have had to adapt our product to suit the needs of every project, from small niche applications to huge multinational product lines.

When we manufacture our suspension springs, we work with a wide range of:

Copper
Steel
Titanium
Superalloys such as Hastelloy, Nimonic and Inconel

The springs’ high strength requirements for vehicle suspension make steel alloys the most used for suspension coil springs and valve springs. The steel alloy has the required strength and hardness and offers a higher sag and temper resistance, making it an excellent choice for your suspension coil spring.

Once the spring has been designed to suit the required specifications and chosen material, it’s time to manufacture the final product.

The specifics of manufacturing a suspension spring will vary very little despite the difference in the specification.

What Makes Suspension Springs So Popular?

When suspension springs are combined with shock absorbers, not only does it provide a smoother ride for the driver, but they also make sure that the wheels are in contact with the road at all times, which increases control.

The increased grip is integral to better road handling and general road safety. Icy roads show how a car’s handling becomes impossible without adequate grip on the road. Strong suspension springs prevent this dangerous driving from occurring in all but the harshest weather conditions.

Shock absorbers and suspensions springs work together to create a smooth ride. The springs will absorb and release the many minor imperfections in the average road, so you don’t feel it, and the shock absorbers help keep your tires gripped to the road.

Different Types of Suspension Spring

There are as many suspension spring types as vehicles on the road. As experienced suspension spring manufacturers, European Springs has manufactured suspension springs for every vehicle design.

We understand that each suspension spring needs to be tailored to the exacting specifications of the vehicle it will be installed into. For example, motorcycling, touring, and indy cars all put high demands on their suspension, so they require the most durable springs. Alternatively, a domestic vehicle won’t be operating under such extremes, so they can afford to choose a more cost-effective suspension spring design.

Progressive Vs. Linear Suspension Spring

The way the spring is manufactured will significantly affect the vehicle’s performance; that’s why it’s important to know what you want in your final product. There are two initial aspects of a suspension spring to consider: linear or progressive rates.

The spring rates will tell you how stiff a spring is and it’s the most significant difference between a linear or progressive design.

The benefits of a linear rate suspension spring are their simplicity. A linear rate has only one variable to it and has a consistent, predictable rate. This predictability makes accurately calculating how the spring will act under various road conditions very easy. Since this spring has only one way to respond when in use, the handling feels stiff and responsive and is an excellent choice for an average car or lorry.

However, whilst the linear rate is more popular, it can only handle the situations it was designed for, and you will have to choose to design your spring more toward either handling or comfort but not both; this is where progressive rates come in.

The benefits of progressive rate suspension springs are their adaptability. Progressive rates are more complicated to predict than linear, but they have the potential to handle both comfort and handling in a single suspension spring, something worth exploring in any new car design.

UK’s Largest Spring Manufacturer

With over 70 years of extensive experience manufacturing and distributing bespoke springs and pressings, we are confident that we can supply you with any custom spring design that your latest project requires from compression springs and tension springs to torsion springs and suspension springs.

If you would like to acquire premium suspension springs from the UK’s leading manufacturer, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch online or call us on (+44) 0208 663 1800, and one of our expert team members will be happy to discuss your required specifications.

Author: European Springs Web Team