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 Created 14/12/2011

Princess looks forward to another landmark London Boat Show - Read

Princess Yachts International is set for another significant Tullet Prebon London International Boat Show in January, an appropriate start to what will be a landmark year for the brand. 2012 will see the Plymouth based boat builder launch both the smallest vessel it has produced for over a decade and the largest the company has ever built.
 

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 Created 01/12/2011

Goodrich Plymouth Becomes UK’s First Manufacturing Operation to Receive Gold Award- Read

Goodrich Corporation’s Sensors and Integrated Systems team in Plymouth, UK has received a prestigious supply chain award from the UK’s aerospace industry trade group ADS, for achieving nearly perfect on-time delivery and product quality for an entire year.
 

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 Created 24/11/2011

City pipe firm wins another top accolade - Read

PLYMOUTH pipe manufacturer Pipex px has won another top business award at a high-profile event attended by political heavyweights.
The Roborough-based firm triumphed at the Manufacturing Excellence Awards, winning the Barclays Corporate Award for Financial Management.
 

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 Created 04/11/2011

Plessey EPIC Sensor Technology wins NMI R&D Achievement Award - Read

Plessey Semiconductors’ Electric Potential Integrated Circuit (EPIC) sensor technology won the R&D Achievement Award at the NMI Gala Dinner and Industry Awards celebration held on 3rd November 2011 at the Wyndham Grand Chelsea Harbour, London.
 

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 Created 31/10/2011

Princess Yachts receives Government support for new manufacturing facility in Plymouth - Read

Plymouth based Princess Yachts International has won financial backing from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) for a major investment in Plymouth’s Devonport dockyard.  Princess
 

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 Created 18/10/2011

Wrigley unveils commemorative book for UK centenary - Read

Wrigley’s has created a commemorate book to celebrate the company’s UK centenary, featuring iconic images and advertising campaigns. The brochure has been sent to MPs and politicians, existing customers, associates, business partners and stakeholders so they can all enjoy an insight into how Wrigley works.
 

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 Created 12/10/2011

National recognition for outstanding partnership between Bombardier & Plymouth Uni - Read

A strategic project between Plymouth University and rail technology giants Bombardier Transportation, which led to the creation of a revolutionary new safety system, has been recognised with a prestigious national award by the Technology Strategy Board. Bombardier
 

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 Created 05/10/2011

Plymouth’s Pipex px® shortlisted for five top manufacturing awards - Click here

Plymouth based manufacturer Pipex px®, which produces corrosion resistant construction products from thermoplastics and advanced composites, has been shortlisted for five awards, as part of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Manufacturing Excellence Awards 2011. Pipex
 

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 Created 06/09/2011

Plessey Semiconductors expands in China with new offices - Click here

Plymouth, ENGLAND and Shenzhen, CHINA – 6 September 2011 – Plessey Semiconductors today formally announced the opening of their new office in the city centre of Shenzhen, China. Located in Futian, the heart of the Shenzhen Central Business District, the new office is the first milestone in an aggressive expansion plan for the company.
Plessey
 

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 Created 26/08/2011

'World class' factory will shortly be fully operational - Click here

A multi-million pound Plymouth factory will be fully operational by the end of next month and home to 130 staff.
HellermannTyton's new "world class" base at Derriford is now finished after an 11-month build.
HellermannTyton
 

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 Created 26/08/2011

Princess Yachts to unveil three brand new boats at the Southampton Boat Show - Click here

Situated in a new ‘prime position’ along the waterfront at Mayflower Park, Princess will be making the world debuts of their new 98 Motor Yacht and the Princess 60 (pictured). The V72 will also be making its UK introduction at the show. Princess
 

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 Created 24/08/2011

Rittal-CSM Achieves Payback in only a few months - Click here

Rittal-CSM of Plymouth has completed the latest stage of its energy saving carbon reduction programme; working with specialist installer Drew & Company to install a more efficient system for pump control at its paint plant.
The value of the project speaks for itself, achieving payback calculated at just a few months for the £17,000 package of WEG CFW-11 inverter drives.
Rittal
 

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 Created 01/08/2011

Manuplas has secured an Olympic art legacy - Click here

Manuplas will set their mark at the 2012 Olympics!  The Plymouth manufacturer is collaborating with London based artist Keith Wilson to produce 35 ‘steles’ which will be scattered along the waterway outside the Olympics Aquatics Centre.
 

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 Created 01/08/2011

Princess Yachts announces return to the under 40 foot market - Click here

Princess Yachts International is delighted to announce the addition of an exciting new model to their V Class range of sports yachts. Fast, agile and spacious, the new V39 marks a stunning return to the under 40-foot arena for the brand.
Princess
 

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 Created 15/07/2011

First 40m super yacht hull completed at Princess Yachts - Click here

Princess Yachts International have completed the first hull of its new 40m motor yacht, their largest vessel to date, which is believed to be the largest resin infused hull in the world.
The Princess 40M, a 130-foot tri-deck yacht which can accommodate twelve guests in complete luxury with separate quarters for up to eight crew, is the second model from the new
M Class range of yachts and follows the 32M which was launched at the London International Boat Show this year.
Princess
 

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 Created 12/07/2011

Princess achieves RINA Green Plus (Y) notation for V Class and Flybridge yachts - Click here

Princess Yachts today became the first significant British Boat builder to achieve the RINA Green Plus (Y) notation for their entire range of V Class and Flybridge motor yachts up to 24m (85’). Princess
 

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 Created 24/06/2011

LOCAL STUDENT WINS MANUFACTURING AWARD - Click here

Reece Williams left school aged 18 last summer and has just won an award for designing an innovative work experience package during his placement with a local company.
Goodrich Sensors and Integrated Systems are delighted yet again with how they, as a company, have benefited from hosting their latest Year in Industry student. The Plymouth Manufacturers‟ Group held, for the eleventh year, their Best Manufacturing Project Award competition.
Reece Williams & Patrick O'Connell
 

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 Created 20/06/2011

Firm's contract to fit navigation in A400M - Click here

A PLYMOUTH manufacturer has signed a financially "substantial" long-term contract to supply navigation equipment for a new military transport aircraft. The Goodrich plant, in Southway, has been selected by defence and security company Cassidian to provide the TERPROM navigation system for the new Airbus Military A400M aircraft. AIS
 

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 Created 16/06/2011

BD celebrates apprentices’ award - Click here

PLYMOUTH manufacturer Becton Dickinson is celebrating after winning the Large Employer of the Year Award at the South West regional heat of the National Apprenticeship Awards.
BD's Plymouth plant, part of a global medical technology giant, will now represent the South West at the National Apprenticeship Awards in London later this month.
BD
 

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 Created 15/06/2011

City firm shares in £354m rail contract - Click here

A HI-TECH Plymouth manufacturing plant is to share in a £354million contract to provide new signalling for the London Underground network. Bombardier Transportation's factory in Estover is one of the international company's sites which will supply products and engineering works for the upgrade of the network's automatic train signalling. Bombardier
 

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 Created 09/06/2011

Plessey Semiconductors wins award for novel electric field sensor technology - Click here

Plessey Semiconductors has been awarded a Gold Award at the "Best of Sensors Expo" ceremony for its Electrical Potential Integrated Circuit (EPIC) sensor technology. Plessey
 

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 Created 01/06/2011

Plessey Semiconductors to Announce its First IC Design - Click here

Plessey Semiconductors announced that it will be demonstrating its Electric Potential Integrated Circuit (EPIC) sensor technology at Sensors Expo (Chicago, USA June 6-8 2011). The EPIC sensor is a completely new area of sensor technology that measures changes in an electric field in a similar way to a magnetometer detecting changes in a magnetic field. Plessey
 

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 Created 27/05/2011

Sausage maker targets Singapore - Click here

Family-owned Westaway Sausages, which is based in Newton Abbot, is planning to grow its export business between 20 and 30 per cent in the next year. And managing director Charles Baughan has told Insider he is targeting sausage distributors in Singapore. Westaways
 

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 Created 25/05/2011

Plymouth Manufacturers’ Group celebrates the success of local firms investing in Plymouth - Click here

This morning at the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce’s ‘City Conversations’ event held at solicitors Foot Anstey, Mike Syrett, Chair of the Plymouth Manufacturers’ Group announced the publication of a  booklet which collectively presents a series of good news stories regarding the City’s manufacturing sector.

View the PMG brochure here
PMG
 

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 Created 15/04/2011

Algram Introduces New Clean Room - Click here

Since its acquisition in 1996 by the Olympus Optical Company of Japan, Algram’s manufacturing capability has grown considerably thanks to a programme of ongoing investment in new plant and machinery, including the installation of its recently upgraded, Class 100,000 clean room. Algram
 

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 Created 15/04/2011

Bombardier scoop top business award - Click here

HI-TECH manufacturer Bombardier Transportation UK Ltd has been named Plymouth's Business of the Year at The Herald's Business Awards. The Estover-based plant took the top accolade at a sold-out and high-profile black-tie ceremony compered by TV star Angela Rippon, at Boringdon Park, Plympton, last night. Bombardier
 

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 Created 15/03/2011

BD Donates $325,000 for Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Efforts - Click here

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., March 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, announced today that it is donating $325,000 to assist in relief efforts for victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. BD
 

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 Created 01/04/2011

Bandvulc exports have tripled since 2009 - Click here

Over the last two years Bandvulc has seen a consistent demand for its commercial retreads within Europe and especially Germany, but lately the pace of export growth has increased significantly. Not only have sales through existing partners increased by over 50 per cent in some countries, but new customers are reported to have been won – and in additional territories too. Key developments include distribution arrangements with agents as far away from South West England as Greece and Poland. Bandvulc
 

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 Created 31/03/2011

Duke of York visits Goodrich Plymouth facility - Click here

In his tour of the company’s world-leading technologies, His Royal Highness examined a range of tiny devices – some less than the size of a fingernail - that are today’s precision gyroscopes. He was shown how these solid state devices use a unique vibrating silicon ring design to guide a range of platforms including unmanned vehicles and satellites. AIS Goodrich
 

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 Created 10/03/2011

60 new jobs as engineering company needs workers to meet huge growth in orders - Click here

BALL bearing manufacturer Barden is today looking to recruit 60 workers after seeing turnover leap more than £10million to record levels. The firm, which has its UK headquarters in Estover, said it has more work than it can handle due to huge growth in exports, mainly to the Far East. Bardens
 

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 Created 28/02/2011

HMS Bulwark rejoins Royal Navy's operational fleet - Click here

The Royal Navy amphibious landing ship HMS Bulwark has returned to the Royal Navy’s operational fleet and is ready for any tasking required worldwide. The ship has emerged on-time and in-budget from an 11-month upgrade and maintenance period by Babcock in its base-port of HM Naval Base Devonport, Plymouth. Babcock
 

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 Created 04/02/2011

Fine Tubes Expands Operations in India - Click here

Fine Tubes have continued their investment in India with the opening of a regional sales office in Delhi. Mr Gagan Sood, regional business development executive has been welcomed to the new premises and is optimistic about the prospects for continued growth. Fine Tubes
 

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 Created 24/01/2011
Tideford Organics Microwaveable Pot of Soup - Click here
Devon-based organic food company Tideford Organics has launched a new single serve microwaveable pot of soup. Designed for the convenience sector the new soup comes with a heat-proof sleeve so it fits into the Food to go market.
The new range of single serve pots includes Armenian Dahl, Carrot and Coriander, Farmhouse Chicken And Vegetable, Moroccan Vegetable, Tomato And Lentil, and Tuscan Vegetable.
Tideford Organics
 

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 Created 10/01/2011
Luminati Waycon moves factory - Click here
South West-based acrylics manufacturer Luminati Waycon has moved into a new manufacturing base at Lee Mill Industrial Estate near Ivybridge, Plymouth.
Luminati Waycon designs and manufactures a range of acrylic products including display cases and cabinets, merchandising and point of sale systems, furniture, desks and IT accessories, photo frames, sign holders and cake stands.
Luminati
 


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 Created 09/01/2011
Plymouth yacht builders Princess start biggest boat yet - Click here
Princess Yachts has started building its biggest ever motor yacht in Plymouth. The £12m, 40m (130ft) boat is being built at the firm's new South Yard premises, the firm has confirmed.
The facilities will enable the company to produce 50m (164ft) vessels, securing about 1,800 jobs.
PrincessYachts
 


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 Created 20/12/2010
Princess defy blizzards to deliver first M Class yacht to London - Click here
The new Princess 32M was lifted from the Thames and carefully manoeuvred into position at London’s Excel exhibition centre despite the appalling weather and is now ready for her world premiere at the show in the New Year.
Princess Yachts
 


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 Created 09/12/2010
Diagonal fans cut enclosure cooling costs by 43% - Click here
The enclosure giant Rittal claims to have cut enclosure ventilation energy consumption by 43% by introducing a diagonal fan technology that combines radial and axial ventilation. In a six-week long trial, the new system ran for 40% less time to achieve the same cooling effect as a conventional fan-and-filter system.
Rittal
 


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 Created 09/12/2010
The Wrigley Company is back in growth - Click here
The Wrigley Company is pleased to announce that the Chewing Gum category is now back in growth after a difficult few years thanks to Wrigley’s 2010 marketing campaigns driving brand performance and sales for retailers.
Wrigley
 


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 Created 02/12/2010
Research project begins search for intelligent navigation in remote controlled craft - Click here
Academics are to begin the search for a new form of navigation system designed to enable unmanned waterborne vehicles to operate in areas without satellite coverage.
The technology will be designed to help military and civilian craft, commonly known as USVs, to manoeuvre even when the radio signals are being blocked by geographical terrain or deliberately so through jamming equipment.
AIS
 

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 Created 26/11/2010
Clarke’s Transport Chooses Bandvulc for Fleet Fitment - Click here
Privately owned multi-service transport organisation Clarke’s Transport has selected the Bandvulc range of tyres as policy fitment for its fleet operation. The arrangement sees the Clarke’s fleet using AC Tyres based in Oldham to manage and provide fleet support to its Northern based vehicles. AC Tyres is a certified member of Bandvulc Tyre Contracts’ Service Provider Recognition Scheme and a key partner for Bandvulc.
Bandvulc
 

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 Created 23/11/2010
Andrew Williams to move to Princess Yachts International after revitalised London Show - Click here
Andrew Williams, Managing Director of National Boat Shows today announced that shortly after the forthcoming Tullett Prebon
London International Boat Show, his fifth since joining NBS, he will be
leaving to take up a new position as Marketing Director at Princess Yachts International.
Princess Yachts
 

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 Created 15/11/2010
Goodrich Supplies Europe's First MEMS Gyros for Space Navigation - Click here
Experimental miniature solid state gyros pass CryoSat-2 in-orbit test
Goodrich Corporation gyroscopes have successfully passed in orbit testing on the European Space Agency's (ESA) Earth Explorer CryoSat-2 satellite during a mission to detect shifts in global ice cover. The Goodrich Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) gyros were the smallest ever flown by ESA and were used to monitor the satellite's rate of spin. They were integrated into the SiREUS rate sensor to form Europe's first MEMS-based device to be used for space vehicle navigation.
AIS
 

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 Created 03/11/2010
National food award for Tamar Food - Click here
Tamar Foods MD Warren Day receives the award from awards sponsor Jeff Williams of SA Partners (l) and TV presenter Chris Hollins (r)
Callington-based Tamar Foods has been named the UK’s best manufacturer of prepared foods.
Tamar Foods
 

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 Created 02/12/2010
Plymouth Manufacturers’ Group holds major Health & Safety seminar in City - Click here
Ken Woodward, reputedly the world's most inspiring and memorable safety speaker, will be presenting along with Jon Cooper a nationally leading practitioner in health and safety law with Bond Pearce solicitors.
PMG
 

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 Created 15/10/2010
Pipex awarded European funding to construct an international training and product development... - Click here
Pipex have expanded their facilities to develop their staff training ethics and innovation skills. On top of the £210,000 Pipex Ltd invested in the building works, the project was part financed by the European Union with £90,000 from the European Regional Development Fund 2007-13, through the South West Regional Development Agency under the Competitiveness Operating Programme.
Pipex
 

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 Created 25/09/2010
Goodrich Receives UK MoD Contract for Aircraft Support - Click here
Goodrich Corporation has received a follow-on contract worth over 7 million pounds Sterling (approximately US $10 million) from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) for Performance Based Logistics (PBL). The contract continues a decade of support for a number of legacy instruments used on a range of UK jets and helicopters in operational service. The contract was awarded to Plymouth, UK-based Atlantic Inertial Systems (AIS), which became part of Goodrich's Sensors and Integrated Systems in December 2009.
AIS
 

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 Created 22/09/2010
BD Ranks Among Top 25 U.S. Companies n Newsweek's 2010 Green Rankings - Click here
BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company, today announced that it has ranked among the top 25 companies in Newsweek's second annual "Green Rankings" of the 500 largest U.S. corporations based on environmental performance, policies and reputation. BD ranked 24th overall and second in the Healthcare sector.
BD
 

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 Created 22/09/2010
Honorary Accolade for Chris Gates and Princess Yachts - Click here
Managing director of Princess Yachts Chris Gates is to be awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Business by the University of Plymouth in recognition for his services to local business and the vital role that Princess Yachts continues to play within the local community and economy.
Princess
 

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 Created 17/09/2010
Tamar Foods wins Best Factory Awards 2010 - Click here
This go-ahead savoury pastry and desserts maker has probably graced all our meal times, and now the company can deservedly dine out on its success. A bakery that really knows its onions.
While Tamar Foods may not be an instantly recognisable brand, its products feature heavily in supermarkets up and down the land. Tamar, which is part of the Samworth Brothers group of companies, spun out of the Ginsters business in 1999 and today claims to be the UK's largest hot pie manufacturer, the country's most efficient sausage roll producer and a centre of excellence for pastry. It also makes pasties, lattice bars, slices and wraps, as well as a selection of hot and cold desserts, to offer around 160 product lines in total.
Tamar Foods
 

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 Created 28/08/2010
Firm shows it has faith in city's future - Click here
MANUFACTURING giant HellermannTyton says it plans to have its new multi-million-pound Plymouth plant built by June.
The company, which makes products such as protection and labelling for electrical cables, celebrated the start of work on its new Derriford base with a turf-cutting ceremony led by company top brass and Lord Mayor Mary Aspinall.
HellermannTyton
 

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 Created 28/08/2010
Firm to supply Tesco with clotted cream - Click here
DAIRY firm Langage Farm has signed a £1.7 million contract to supply Tesco with clotted cream.
The three-year deal, which has created five jobs, will see the Smithaleigh-based business supplying 10 Tesco depots, from where the cream will be sent to stores nationwide.
Langage Farm
 

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 Created 28/08/2010
Cable firm plans move to purpose-built home - Click here
CABLE manufacturer HellermannTyton is to build a huge factory in the north of Plymouth.
The company will leave its Pennycross home and relocate to the International Medical and Technology Park at Derriford.
HellermannTyton
 

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 Created 16/07/2010
KTA funding helps Babcock get more information - Click here
Professors Chris McMahon and Steve Culley from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, have been awarded a Partnership Development Award for six months. The funding supports a KT Fellow to work at Babcock Marine to help them to extract knowledge from the data they hold. The aim is to assist them review their maintenance planning.
Babcock
 


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 Created 14/07/2010
Cyclists raise £2,000 - Click here
STAFF at Invensys Controls in Southway have raised £2,000 for Cancer Research by taking part in the 2010 Dartmoor Cycle Challenge, writes Vicky Meadows.
Paul Pady, a test engineer and part of Team Invensys, enjoyed the ride and urged others to take on the challenge next year.
Invensys
 


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 Created 13/07/2010
Fine Tubes finalist in one of the West Country’s high profile business awards competitions. - Click here
Organised by the international accountancy firm Price Waterhouse Coopers, the awards recognise companies across the region in two different categories; those businesses with a turnover of £25 million or more, or more than 100 employees and those with a turnover less than £25 million or less than 100 employees.
Fine Tubes
 

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 Created 09/07/2010
Awards for pupils who saved money - Click here
TWO Plymouth students have won awards for their work on employment placements which could save companies more than £150,000 this year.
Emily Marley and George Reburn, both 19, were unanimously chosen as joint winners at the annual Best Manufacturing Project Award competition, part of the Year in Industry programme. The prize, awarded by the Plymouth Manufacturers' Group at Becton Dickinson was £125 each.
PMG
 

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 Created 08/07/2010
Apprenticeships at Kawasaki Precision Machinery (UK) Ltd - Click here
Apprenticeships have been on offer at Plymouth-based Kawasaki Precision Machinery (KPM) for more than 30 years. The business currently has 12 apprentices and, over the last 5 years, has trained 22.
KPMUK
 

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 Created 07/07/2010
Fine Tubes, Fine times - Click here
Fine Tubes Ltd has been making high-specification, precision metal tubing in stainless steel and advanced alloys for over 60 years.

Managing director Ronen Day talks to Ruari McCallion about expansion, new markets and their culture of innovative improvement.
Fine Tubes
 

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 Created 26/06/2010
Pipex Wins Prestigious Manufacturing Excellence Award: Overall Winner – “Best SME" - Click here
The Manufacturing Excellence Awards is the premier annual award scheme for the UK manufacturing industry, supporting and recognising manufacturing success & innovation. Independently assessed & judged by The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the MX Awards attract entries from manufacturing businesses in all sectors, including Zanussi, Leyland Trucks, Siemens, BAE Systems and many other this year.
Pipex
 

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 Created 07/06/2010
Princess Yachts boss praises city workers - Click here
PRINCESS Yachts' success in riding the economic crisis has been down to the extraordinary efforts of its team in Plymouth, the managing director says.
Princess
 

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 Created 02/06/2010
Awards celebrate excellent training - Click here
PLYMOUTH apprentices and employers are among the finalists celebrating their achievements at the South West Skills Awards.

Rittal CSM engineer Brett Preston, Princess Yachts and Kawasaki Precision Machinery UK are among the 35 shortlisted candidates taking part in the awards ceremony in Exeter this evening, where this year's regional winners will be announced.

The awards, run by the Skills Funding Agency and the National Apprenticeship Service, recognise and celebrate the achievements of apprentices, learners and employers who have excelled in the region.
KPMUK

Princess

Rittal
 

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 Created 27/05/2010
Boat firm staff can now learn while they earn - Click here
BOATBUILDER Princess Yachts has opened its new £30,000 learning centre for staff.
The education suite, at the firm's Coypool plant, contains 10 computers where workers can learn non-job-related subjects — anything from healthy eating to languages to computer skills.
Princess
 

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 Created 22/05/2010
Precision miniature ball bearings offer high reliability in surgical hand tools - Click here
The latest surgical powered hand tools require miniature, super precision ball bearings, which are not only capable of withstanding the high loads and operating speeds involved, but also to provide high reliability and therefore a longer life of the tool, says Barney Eley of The Barden Corporation (UK) Ltd.
Barden
 

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 Created 22/09/2010
Dockyard firm's 'excellent' profits rise 11% to £148m - Click here
Devonport Dockyard operator Babcock International Group has recorded "excellent" growth in its annual results, with an 11 per cent rise in operating profits to £148.1 million.
The group said an £8.3 billion order book underpinned its positive outlook that has seen it begin the year with an operating margin of 8.7 per cent.
Babcock
 

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 Created 11/05/2010
Cleansing Service Group Choose Big D Tyres from Bandvulc - Click here
Waste management specialist Cleansing Service Group (CSG), one of the UK waste industry’s fastest growing companies, has been fitting Bandvulc tyres to its fleet “for some months.” CSG engineering manager Mick Arnold commented: “We have been fitting Bandvulc tyres to a number of our vehicles and the ‘BIG D’ tyre is proving to be a good choice, particularly when used on vehicles going to landfill sites.
Bandvulc
 

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 Created 07/05/2010
Railway engines let students train - Click here
CITY engineering students have been given a unique opportunity to train on ex-British Rail engines thanks to a donation by Babcock Marine.
The two working engines, donated to City College Plymouth, were used to power trains and generate electricity on warships. They have a combined weight of 20 tonnes and cost £100,000 each.
Babcock
 

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 Created 12/04/2010
Plymouth-based rail safety company wins The Queen’s Award for Innovation - Click here
Vortok International, the technically advanced company which received a “Railway Oscar” in 2008 for its clever engineering, has won another and much coveted award.  It is to be presented with The Queen’s Award for Innovation. 
QA
 

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 Created 07/04/2010
Richard scooped his dream job at farm - Click here
THE commercial boss of dairy firm Langage Farm has said the 'future is bright' for the company.
Richard Scutt, commercial and marketing manager at the firm in Smithaleigh, said the firm is bidding for large national contracts and is looking to increase local sales.
Langage Farm
 

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 Created 25/03/2010
Manufacturer eyes post-recession growth - Click here
A PLYMOUTH manufacturer which has made a conscious decision to focus on high end products believes that growth will return in 2011, with plans to grow its turnover to £60 million in the next few years.
Fine Tubes
 

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 Created 25/03/2010
Hi-tech Plymouth firm salutes its 50 years in city - Click here
PROUD employees of a hi-tech Plymouth manufacturing plant have celebrated 50 years of business in the city.
Bombardier Transportation, which makes railway signalling technology in Estover, marked half a century of achievements yesterday.
Bombardier
 

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 Created 25/03/2010
Luxury boat firm plans 'world-class' facility - Click here
PRINCESS Yachts is to submit plans for a massive £45 million factory that will create hundreds of jobs in Plymouth.
The luxury boatbuilder said its plans for a five-storey high, 300,000sq ft production hanger in Devonport's South Yard would create 200 jobs initially, with possibly more to follow, and secure the futures of 1,885 staff already employed in the city.
Princess Yachts
 

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 Created 25/03/2010
Babcock International Group PLC Signature of Terms of Business Agreement - Click here
Babcock International Group PLC (Babcock) confirms that it has signed a long term strategic Terms of Business Agreement (ToBA) with the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The agreement confirms Babcock as the MoD’s key support partner in the maritime sector and underpins the delivery of key aspects of the MoD’s Defence Industrial Strategy.
Babcock
 

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 Created 22/03/2010
Manufacturer eyes post-recession growth - Click here
A PLYMOUTH manufacturer which has made a conscious decision to focus on high end products believes that growth will return in 2011, with plans to grow its turnover to £60 million in the next few years.
FineTubes
 

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 Created 22/03/2010
Westminster on-time, on-budget - Click here
Type 23 frigate HMS Westminster has left Devonport Royal Dockyard on-time and within budget, and with significantly increased sustainability and fighting capability, following a successful upkeep period by Babcock which culminated in the ship being ‘Ready for Sea’ ahead of schedule.
Babcock
 

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 Created 22/03/2010
Back to the floor for MP “Apprentice“ - Click here
Plymouth, Devonport MP Alison Seabeck is going “back to the floor” to get a taste for life as an apprentice.
The Labour MP will be shadowing apprentices at Kawasaki Precision Machinery UK Ltd (KPM) as an extension of National Apprenticeship Week which took place from February 1st to February 5th.
KPMUK
 

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 Created 22/03/2010
European Metal Recycling Chooses Bandvulc and Fulda - Click here
European Metal Recycling Ltd (EMR), a global leader in recycled metal products and environmental services, has selected Bandvulc and Fulda tyres as policy fitment for its southern UK based fleet operations.
Bandvulc
 


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 Created 22/03/2010
Vi-Spring & Princess Yachts - Click here
Vi-Spring believe that “sleeping on the right bed can be a truly life-changing experience.” The luxury brand has now been selected by Princess Yachts to design and create handmade, pocket sprung mattresses for its entire range of motor yachts.
“We’re looking forward to working together to provide Vi-Spring comfort on Princess Yachts”, says Mike Meehan, Managing Director of Vi-Spring.

Princess Yachts

Vi-Spring

 


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 Created 15/03/2010
Westminster on-time, on-budget - Click here
Type 23 frigate HMS Westminster has left Devonport Royal Dockyard on-time and within budget, and with significantly increased sustainability and fighting capability, following a successful upkeep period by Babcock which culminated in the ship being ‘Ready for Sea’ ahead of schedule.
Babcock
 

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 Created 11/03/2010
A proud day for Wrigley - Click here
Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh today visited the Wrigley Company’s site in Estover, Plymouth. Meeting associates, the visit included a tour of the company’s quality laboratory, manufacturing line and ended with an unveiling of a plaque celebrating the company’s 40th anniversary at the site.
Wrigley
 

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 Created 10/03/2010
Plessey Semiconductors announces planned release of innovative products - Click here
Plessey Semiconductors announced today the planned release of a number of innovative semiconductor products including a range of amplifiers, demodulators, synthesisers and high-speed pre-scalers. These products have been designed primarily for the defence and space markets, but are also used in the general communications, automotive and industrial control market segments. The types of end products that will use these components include television systems, fibre optic communications, CCTV and data communication systems.
Plessey
 

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 Created 10/03/2010
Bombardier celebreates 50 years in the UK Signalling industry - Click here
Bombardier Transportation will celebrate 50 years in the UK
Signalling Industry. The signalling division of Bombardier, with a UK workforce of approximately 200 employees based in Reading, Plymouth, Derby and London, will celebrate its anniversary on March 23rd with a celebration at its Rail Control Solutions (RCS)
site in Plymouth. The site is Bombardier UK’s international engineering centre of excellence and largest hub for rail control product engineering, project management, quality and safety,
and manufacturing.
Bombardier
 

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 Created 05/03/2010
BD Named Industry Champion on FORTUNE's List of the 'World's Most Admired Companies' - Click here
BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company, has been selected by FORTUNE Magazine as one of the World's Most Admired Companies and ranked #1 in the Medical and Other Precision Equipment category, according to its peers.
BD
 

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 Created 04/03/2010
Investment in skills key to manufacturing in the city - Click here
INVESTING in skills is critical in ensuring the future of manufacturing in the city, the Plymouth Employment and Skills Board (ESB) have announced in the run up to National Manufacturing Week, which runs 1st – 5th March. Many firms in Plymouth have been badly hit by the recession, some even disappearing from the city completely.
WeLoveManufacturing
 

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 Created 25/02/2010
'Low risk' rating a boost for firm - Click here
ESTOVER-based manufacturer Fine Tubes Ltd has been given a financial risk indicator which shows the business has a low probability of failure.
The firm has been registered as 'Rating 1' with Dun and Bradstreet, which means it has a good 'creditworthiness'.
FineTubes
 

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 Created 24/02/2010
Barden cuts bearing costs on Hippag air generator - Click here
Barden has helped Ultra Electronics Precision Air Systems to reduce bearing costs and assembly times on its high-pressure pure air generator by 40-50 per cent.
Ultra produces a range of mini-compressors known as Hippag (High Pressure Pure Air Generators).
Barden
 

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 Created 22/02/2010
Bandvulc Invests £300,000 in ‘World Class’ Production Process - Click here
Perhaps in an effort to practice what it preaches, Bandvulc recently demonstrated some examples of innovation in in-house design and engineering. As a result, the company has now changed the way it handles over 18,000 truck tyre casings per month and has named this new process Avalon (a reference to the company’s King Arthur-themed production process).
Bandvulc
 

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 Created 16/02/2010
Princess Yachts recognised for its Excellence in the Environmental Business - Click here
Plymouth-based luxury boat builder and PMG member, Princess Yachts has been recognised for its excellence in the environmental management of its business. The company has just been awarded ISO 14001, making it the first major European-based boat builder to gain this stringent international standard.
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 Created 21/01/2010
BD awarded grant contribution towards £18million investment in Plymouth site - Click here
Medical equipment manufacturer and PMG member BD - Becton Dickinson and Company - has been awarded £2.2million under the Grant of Business Investment scheme from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills. The business employs 770 people in Plymouth and is the city's third largest private sector employer.
BD
 

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 Created 01/02/2010
Staff sail through training - Click here
TWENTY Princess Yachts employees have finished the first phase of their training after the firm linked up with City College Plymouth.
The luxury boat builder collaborated with the college to deliver a bespoke training programme for aspiring marine engineers and carpenters.
The pioneering programme, known as the Princess Carpenter/Engineering Mate Recruitment Scheme, covered a range of marine-specific engineering and carpentry disciplines.
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 Created 25/01/2010
Manufacturer targets Middle East markets - Click here
IVYBRIDGE-based acrylics manufacturer and PMG member Luminati Waycon is mounting an assault on the lucrative Middle East hospitality market.
The firm is keen to sell its Clear2C acrylic photo frames in the region and has appointed a Dubai-based sales agent to promote the products.
With help from UKTrade and Investment's Export Marketing Research Scheme, the company recently returned from a successful preliminary market research visit to Dubai.
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 Created 15/12/2009
Firm's acrylic beds take centre stage - Click here
Acrylic fabricators and PMG Network member Luminati Waycon has made 48 transparent beds for the English National Opera's production of Handel's masterpeice Messiah.
The Bittaford-based firm supplied the acrylic beds to London's The Coliseum theatre.
They are need as props for the entire chorus to perform on in the resurretion scene in act three.
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 Created 04/12/2009
Boat firm signs deal on training - Click here
PMG Member, Princess Yachts has signed a ground-breaking training agreement with union Unite.
The Lifelong Learning Agreement will see Princess Yachts' staff taking part in personal and career development courses to complement their job-specific training.
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 Created 01/12/2009
Bandvulc Wins Carbon Reduction Category - Click here
PMG Member, Bandvulc won the Carbon Reduction category at the recent DEBI 2009 Environmental Awards. Held on 26 November, the awards ceremony took place at the Met Office, Exeter and were presented by Paul Gompertz of Devon Wildlife. Previously overall DEBI Awards winner in 2006, Bandvulc has built on its early success and has put carbon reduction at the forefront of its strategy.
This has been achieved with an enthusiasm and determination that is apparent throughout all areas of the business. The 2009 Carbon Reduction award recognises Bandvulc’s: good environmental practices; encouraging wider interest in the adoption of best environmental practice; promoting the development of novel solutions to environmental problems.
Bandvulc
 


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 Created 26/11/2009
High-quality product ensures firm doesn't go down the tube - Click here
ESTOVER-based and PMG member Fine Tubes says its decision to go up market has helped it weather the recession. The firm – which makes stainless steel, nickel and titanium tubes – made the strategic decision to move to high-quality products six years ago.
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 Created 22/10/2009
Vi-Spring to supply US outlet - Click here
The luxury bed manufacturer, which produced the £52,000 Majesty bed for retail in Harrods earlier this year, is to supply a range of its beds to a top Chicago outlet.
Vi-Spring's marketing manager, Peter Tasker, said the company's foray into the 'difficult-to-penetrate' US market, was an initial foothold, as the firm sought to offset the effects of a declining UK furniture market.
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 Created 16/10/2009
Turnover Rises 17% at Luminati Waycon - Click here
A PMG member is on course for a 17 per cent increase in turnover this year after making a conscious decision to 'up' its marketing spend despite the onset of the recession.
Luminati Waycon, which makes a range of acrylic and perspex display units and furniture for home, office and retail use, says it is bucking the national trend among UK manufacturers for a decrease in output with a 10 per cent rise in output during the second quarter of this year.
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 Created 09/10/2009
Spinnaker International sources 200k Convergence investment - Click here
An expansion to globally successful Saltash-based business Spinnaker International has been approved for almost £200k of ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) Convergence investment.
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 Created 09/09/2009
Innovation in Manufacturing event - Click here
"Never has there been a more important time to put innovation at the heart of a manufacturing firm's business strategy".
This was the message delivered by Dr Richard MacIntosh of the South West Manufacturing Advisory Service at the over-subscribed "Innovation in Manufacturing" event hosted at the University of Plymouth on 10th September 2009 and delivered in partnership with Plymouth Manufacturers Group, Enterprise Europe Network and Business Link.
Richard Scutt and Paul Winterton, senior managers with Langage Farm, serve their ice cream products to Notre Dame pupil, LizSteve Cardew, General manager and director of Kawasaki chats with pupils from both schools
 

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 Created 09/09/2009
Pioneering qualification launched by Plymouth firm - Click here
A PIONEERING qualification designed by employers to teach manufacturing and product design skills to young people has been launched at a Plymouth company.
Students and employers met up at Kawasaki Precision Machinery's Ernesettle site this week to launch the Diploma in Manufacturing and Product Design qualification.
Richard Scutt and Paul Winterton, senior managers with Langage Farm, serve their ice cream products to Notre Dame pupil, LizSteve Cardew, General manager and director of Kawasaki chats with pupils from both schools
 

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 Created 29/06/2009
Plymouth Board calls for wage subsidies to support manufacturers - Click here
Plymouth Employment and Skills Board (ESB), the body set up to
co-ordinate and support employment, skills and training provision
across the city has today called on the government to support
wage subsidies.
 
 

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 Created 19/06/2009
Plymouth Manufacturers' Group announces 5 new network members - Click here for more
The Plymouth Manufacturers’ Group is celebrating the success of its new network for small and medium sized enterprises in signing up five additional members in quick succession. The Network, which was only formed in January of this year, is now ahead of schedule to have recruited 25 members over the first two years of operation.
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 Created 16/06/2009
PMG member officially in top 60 greenest companies in the UK - Click here for more
Bandvulc Tyres Ltd has been recognised as one of the Top 60 Best Green Companies in the UK by the Sunday Times.  At the annual awards ceremony in London Bandvulc’s Managing Director received the award from Alistair McColl (Sunday Times Supplements Editor) for achieving a top 60 placement.
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 Created 21/05/2009
PMG Visit Ginsters - Click here for more
Ten PMG members enjoyed an informative visit to Ginsters on Thursday 21st May at their Tavistock Road site in Callington, Cornwall.
Ginsters
 

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 Created 16/03/2009
New network for city manufacturers - Click here for more
THE Plymouth Manufacturing Group is launching a new arm to include small and medium-sized firms.
The PMG group, which helps and advises manufacturing companies across the city, has never covered SMEs – but it wants to do so now due to the recession.
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 Created 01/10/2008
Promoting skills leads to engineering success - Click here for more
Plymouth Employment and Skills Board (ESB) are delighted with the success of Karen Friendship, Managing Director of Alderman Tooling who was named Business Woman of the Year Award at the recent Plymouth’s Women of Achievement Awards.
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 Created 17/07/2008
Algram crowned champion at Plymouth Challenge! - Click here for more
The SW Manufacturing Advisory Service has held a tournament challenging PMG members in Plymouth to put their business acumen to the test and compete against one another for the title of South West MAS Plymouth Manufacturing Champion.
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 Created 11/06/2008
Value engineering success as local student wins manufacturing title - Click here for more
Andrew Mason, from Pall, Redruth has designed a potentially revolutionary differential pressure indicator (used to indicate a blockage of a filter system). Pall, Redruth who has hosted Year in Industry students since 2003 are delighted yet again with how they,
as a company, have benefited. X-Fab, based at Roborough, Plymouth recently hosted the eighth Plymouth Manufacturers’ Group, Best Manufacturing Project Award competition. Entrants for this competition were chosen from the Year In Industry scheme.  The Year in Industry, based at the Tamar Science Park, is a national not-for-profit organisation that places students with local companies to encourage young people to fulfil their potential in careers in Science, Engineering and Technology.
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 Created 07/04/2008
Mayor meets world champs - Click here for more
Plymouth's Lord Mayor has met a team of Formula One racing champions with a difference; they're city school pupils who race model cars. Cllr David James invited the lads from Devonport High School for Boys to his office so they could tell him how they triumphed in a global competition to design, build and race the fastest miniature car on the planet.
 
 

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 Created 07/04/2008
30th Anniversary celebrations for the PMG - Click here for more
DAIRY firm Langage Farm has signed a £1.7 million contract to supply Tesco with clotted cream.
The three-year deal, which has created five jobs, will see the Smithaleigh-based business supplying 10 Tesco depots, from where the cream will be sent to stores nationwide.
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 Created 07/04/2008
Manufacturers sign pledge to improve skills - Click here for more
Thirteen of Plymouth’s leading manufacturing businesses, representing some 10,000 staff gathered for the signing of a new Skills Pledge.
The Skills Pledge is a voluntary, public commitment by the leadership of organisations to demonstrate the importance of investing in the skills and training of their employees.
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