It was fantastic to see Chairman Adrian Haller and Vice Chair Phil Leath-Dawson, featured in March’s Machinery Magazine.

The MMMA is growing its membership despite a difficult period due to the Covid-19 pandemic and will showcase everything it offers in its largest ever Metalworking Village at MACH 2022 next April. The Metalforming Machinery Makers Association (MMMA) has been representing the UK’s power press makers since 1949 and is the only UK association solely dedicated to the sheet metal forming industry.

The association’s membership has been growing strongly after it changed the membership criteria three years ago to include ancillary equipment manufacturers and British-based importers, adding to previously evolving to also include roll forming and sheet metal machine manufacturing companies.

The MMMA can now count on 41 members, with more than 20 added since the rebrand that now even features recruitment firm Glen Callum Associates, training company In-Comm Training and Business Services and a safety expert.

The last 12 months have been challenging, as key trade show MACH 2020, which is a critical event, was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the MMMA has used the time to help members and plan for MACH 2022 in April next year, where it will host its biggest-ever Metalworking Village.

KEY TO THE RECOVERY

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the sheet metal forming industry has like many industries suffered, especially as it is heavily reliant on the automotive sector. However, the MMMA is positive about the prospects for the industry and its members in 2021 and believes there will be a strong recovery.

Chairman Adrian Haller, managing director (MD) of Bruderer UK, a key supplier of high speed presses of 10-to-1000-ton capacity in the UK, says it has been a challenging period on different levels but business has proven to be resilient. “It’s been difficult, no question, and a double whammy with both Covid-19 and Brexit challenges, but on the whole very promising.

Our industry is used to ever-changing environments with one thing and another.

“Another difficulty has been trying to get engineers into our customers and most of our industry has ageing workforce so have had to shield, which has proven to be another big challenge, as during the first lockdown, no hotels or amenities were open so working on site was very difficult.”

Haller believes that manufacturing and engineering hold the key to the UK recovery and is the only way to get the country “back up and running” at full capacity, forecasting a V-shaped recovery. He is very positive about the year ahead and for the future of the sheet metal forming industry.

Vice chairman Phil Leath-Dawson, MD of Schuler UK, biggest challenge now is the continued uncertainty.

He explains that due to being a heavily automotive-based industry, many power press makers have faced strong headwinds, although there is a drive to diversify away from being too reliant on the sector.

“It has been really dif cult as we have have been these huge voids of nothing in between,” says Leath-Dawson. “That is the biggest problem we face, as before we could plan things, but there is no consistent business and we do not know what it will be from week to week.

“The majority of our members have said at our meetings that they are ticking over and surviving. Much of this is down to the government furlough scheme supporting them

– but it is challenging.” He forecasts that due to the UK’s dependence on the automotive sector, the economy will recover to pre-pandemic levels in two years, rather than by the end of the year as predicted by some.

The sheet metal forming industry has traditionally been quite dependent on the automotive sector, but is looking to diversify into other sectors and there are major opportunities on the horizon, notably in the electric vehicles (EV) and medical sectors.

Leath-Dawson believes things will naturally diversify to sectors, such as e-mobility and EV which is an ever-growing market, as every electric motor has to have several metal stampings, while are also other applications that many would not think metal forming plays a key role.

“The UK is leading EV technology globally at the moment and there is a lot of innovation going on and taking place with several new start-ups for passenger and commercial vehicles. There is a great opportunity and as these innovations come forward it will naturally diversify as these opportunities are created.”

BREXIT AND RESHORING

The UK left the European Union (EU) at the end of 2020 when the transition period ended, but will this move have an impact on the sheet metal forming industry? Leath-Dawson is sure that leaving the bloc will provide a positive boost to the industry.

“We go back to the 1970s slogan ‘Buy British’ and things start to be more nationally produced which will be good for manufacturing and our economy. I think it will have a stronger local focus that will be great for our industry.”

Haller concurs, and feels the reduced bureaucracy will help boost trade to other markets so leaving the EU allows the UK to spread its wings, opening up new opportunities across the globe.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic a Reshoring UK programme was launched to bring back more manufacturing and engineering home along with some concerns over the UK’s reliance on global supply chains. This initiative is being  rmly backed by the association. Haller feels the programme is “absolutely essential” and is much needed by the UK’s power press makers, providing an opportunity to pull together to grow business and help MMMA members grow their business.

Reshoring UK will also prove an invaluable tool for the MMMA to grow its membership. Marketing coordinator Bill Neal explains: “It is up to us to keep our members up-to-date about what opportunities are out there for them, as certainly, the indications are there in some industries that companies are looking to bring production back into the UK.

“When they do that, these companies will need to employ the latest production techniques and technology in order to compete, and many of our members are in the right position to deliver that.”

BLACK HOLE

The engineering industry is suffering from a skills shortage and a lack of talent coming through, as the younger generation would often rather pursue other ways of forging a career and making money – leaving somewhat of a ‘black hole’ knowledge gap.

One of the aims of the MMMA is to boost interest in engineering and careers in the metal forming industry, making it more desirable for young people to follow a career path in it, as there is a lack of skilled engineers in the 20s to 30s age range.

Leath-Dawson believes the skills shortage is “massive issue” for the industry and the biggest challenge it faces, as the average age of employees is so high, but they will need to be replaced sometime in the near future.

“For the last 20 years engineering has been looked on as a bit of a ‘dirty industry’ and is not appealing enough for young people, as they can make more money on YouTube and think – why would I want to do engineering that takes four years to serve an apprenticeship in before I can start adding value,” he says.

“The benefits of bringing in this recruitment company in, are we can make engineering more appealing to people. There are great individual skill sets out there, but it is making them understand that engineering is somewhere these skill sets can be used.” Haller notes there a wide range of engineering opportunities for the youth, but the industry has to market itself better and more attractively to attract young people to pursue careers.

At MACH 2022 as in previous events, students will be taken around the event and the MMMA Metalworking Village, which presents a chance to show what opportunities are available and how interesting a career in metal forming can be. Haller says: “The more we can get young people coming to see things for themselves – the better. You need to get into their knowledge and see whether they want to work on these machines, do they want to work for a living and are they prepared to put five years of time and understand how it all works.”

Digitisation is evolving fast in the metal forming industry, like in many industries and Haller believes that the key job skill for any young engineer coming through is mechatronics. “Every machine tool and everything you touch nowadays, there is some sign of electronics or computer-control with it and if you do not understand you have not got it,” he says. However, despite the technological advancements in machines, Haller believes engineers still need to understand traditional skills and how to use traditional milling machines like reverse mill, end-mil, before they can go on to a CNC machine and need to know the basic skills, but also have electronic skills in the back of the mind.

He adds: “We have got to train time-served engineers from senior guys through to the youth who have the electronic skills. You still need the seniors to look at this and do that, but that is where our black hole is at the moment.

“We are training these guys up by the senior guys, who are ready to retire and there is a black hole, where we have lost years and years of experience.”

BIGGEST EVER VILLAGE

The MMMA has ambitious plans for its Metalworking Village at MACH 2022, where members will showcase their skills, services and technologies to visitors from across UK manufacturing. Members already signed up to exhibit at the show include Bruderer UK, Esprit Automation, Cotswold Machinery Sales, Worcester Presses, Schuler, Presscare, TMA, Roemheld UK, Industrial Clutch, Kaller Gas Springs, Press Techniques, Helm Instruments, Anton Saws, Qualimach, Wilson Tools, Pressform Machinery, Ortlinghaus, Decade Monitoring, Group Rhodes, Oerlikon Balzers, Voith Turbo UK, Formit, Raybould Machine Tools Ltd, Ross UK, Aida SRL UK and OSA Systems.

Among new technologies and services on display in the MACH 2022 village will be a new range of Boxin mechanical power presses from Raybould Machine Tools; the BSTA 280-75B high speed Stamping press and BSV75 servo feeder from Bruderer; a new range of die cars 500-1600kg and magnetic clamping from Roemheld UK; and the Titan Press from Worcester Presses.

Neal says 26 of its members were signed up for MACH 2020 and it already has 22 on-board for MACH 2022, despite the challenging business climate. “At the current position that is extremely positive, and we are looking at having over 650 square metres within the village. We are talking to the MTA to get the village more established in its own right.”

The MMMA kicked-off its MACH programme in February and is trying to get members to commit to a specific stand size, which is tough due to marketing budgets being constrained due to the pandemic.

However, on a positive note, the MMMA has a wider pool of members to attend than previous MACH shows, as for MACH 2018 and the cancelled 2020, it could only boast around 17.

Neal says: “We are growing and have been building over the last few years and are now bringing a number of benefits to the table. One of the things we have been driving to our members, is it is their association so use it, such as our social media platforms.

We have more of an opportunity to deliver a bigger and better village at MACH 2022.”

Haller concludes: “We are striving to be more exposed and as such, contactable for anything to do with machine tools and manufacturing, inciting conversation and thought. “Our membership has stayed extremely strongly with us over the last 12 months as they are seeing the benefits of all the changes that we have made.

“The MACH will be excellent for us to showcase everything that we offer as an organisation.”