EJOT UK is supporting the annual awards programme dedicated to recognising and celebrating the very best examples of engineering innovation achieved through a collaborative approach.
The fastening systems manufacturer is sponsoring the 2023 Collaborate to Innovate (C2I) Awards, which are organised by The Engineer and are now in their eighth year. In this year’s awards, EJOT is sponsor of the ‘Automotive’ category, a market sector the company serves in the UK and globally through its range of fastening systems and its ability to co-develop new joining technologies.
The ethos of the C2I Awards aligns with EJOT UK’s collaborative approach to R&D and customer support. Working closely with OEMs and component manufacturers makes it possible for EJOT to design the most effective fastening solutions required to address the challenges of today and in the future.
Four collaborations have made it to the shortlist for the 2023 C2I Automotive Award. They are the ‘GKN Advanced research centre’, a project involving GKN Automotive, the University of Newcastle and University of Nottingham; ‘Kautex-Textron predicts fuel sloshing noise Monolith AI software’; ‘McLaren Applied and Elaphe EV powertrain’; and ‘Universal Battery Recycling System’ by Recyclus Group with the University of Birmingham.
Steve Wynn, UK Sales Manager for Industrial Fastening Solutions at EJOT said, “Collaboration is key to developing the best solutions to today’s engineering challenges, particularly in the automotive industry where the transition from conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) powered vehicles to hybrid and electric technologies has succeeded by bringing together the best minds from across the sector and applying fresh ideas. EJOT has always advocated co-development to achieve optimised fastening solutions and we have seen numerous customers realise the benefits in the long term.”
Some fastening systems that EJOT have developed collaboratively with customers have facilitated industry-wide change, such as the EVO PT screw. This evolution to the Delta PT screw continues to raise the bar through its unique thread-forming zone that provides a virtually constant torque over multiple installation depths within a single assembly.
Another fastening gamechanger was the EJOT ALtracs Plus self-tapping screw for light metal. This has enabled customers to achieve production cost savings and component optimisation goals across a wide range of joining applications, and today different variants of the screw are being deployed in a number of key areas of EV technology, most notably battery assemblies.
The 2023 C2I Awards finalists will be decided by a judging panel made up of engineering professionals working in a diverse range of industry disciplines. They are Dr Rachel Bishop, Deputy Director, Research Base, UKRI; Rebecca Everitt, Director of Business Development & Partnerships, EngineeringUK; Abbie Hutty, Lead Systems Engineer, ispace Europe SA; Alan Newby, Director Aerospace Technology and Future Programmes, Rolls-Royce Plc; Steve Penver, Group Head of Digital Integration, Babcock International Group; and Sue Simmonite, Global Project Management & Control Director, BAE Systems.
Winners of the 2023 C2I Awards will be announced at a ceremony taking place on February 29, 2024.
