SEA News & Press

Advanced Engineering UK 2024 will take place on Wednesday 30th and Thursday 31st October, at NEC, Birmingham. The SEA will host the SEA Pavilion at Advanced Engineering UK 2024. The SEA pavilion will be located in a prominent position on the floorplan at...

Retaining and attracting new talent to any business can be a real challenge, and employees are increasingly looking at the package of benefits provided by an employer – not just salary.

Chairman's blog - Spring 2023 Dear members, I am extremely proud and humbled to have been elected as chairman of the Surface Engineering Association for the next two years. To those of you who don’t know me, my family business John Stokes Ltd...

The SEA Biennial general meeting was held on Wednesday 29th March 2023 at Jaguar Land Rover Solihull, where new Officers and SEA National Committee were elected to serve until March 2025. The members of the committee are tasked with ensuring the long-term...

‘…the biggest shake-up of employment law in a generation.’ In response to the challenges caused by the considerable growth in the use of casual working and self-employed arrangements, the government is currently rolling out an extensive programme of...

ARE YOU SETTLING FOR THE SECOND BEST? For many high precision industries such as aerospace, medical, automotive and defense, industrial parts cleaning plays a crucial role in quality assurance during the production process. Inadequate degreasing can have a disruptive...

Although there is still a lot of uncertainty for UK business in 2019, there is some good news for businesses which have already signed up to the Climate Change Agreement (CCA) – the percentage of discount for holders of a CCA went up on the 1st April 2019. Businesses...

The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) will be holding a Made for Space conference on 2nd and 3rd May 2019 at Ansty Park in Coventry. A must attend event for anyone who is involved in the surface engineering sector, this two-day intensive conference will be...

“I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member” So said Groucho Marx, and we must admit, he may have had a point. Membership of any club or association is a bit like the curate’s egg – good in parts, not so good in others. There will always be...

The surface finishing industry and the trade association that supports it A strong trade association is incredibly important for any industry, and this is especially true for the surface finishing industry. With the enormous amount of legislation and regulations that...

Dissecting Surface Finishing Legislation For those running businesses, it’s not just the day to day running of the operation that concerns them, but also the many laws and regulations that need to be complied with. Whether dealing with taxes or employment issues,...

Keeping on top of the rules surrounding electroplating chemicals Rules, regulations, guidance, legislation.  Businesses working in the surface engineering and finishing industry have to carry out their day to day operations whilst ensuring that they comply with a...

Five reasons why you should be a member of our Trade Association Since the 16th Century Trade Associations have – in one guise or another - represented their members at all levels of business.  From the earliest Guilds that protected the interests of merchants and...

Are you sure you're REACH Compliant? For those working in the surface engineering industry, you will more than likely have heard about the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulations.  This piece of legislation governs the...

  How the SEA influences the issues that affects the surface finishing industry It seems like there is always some new piece of legislation or new guidelines that companies across the whole of the surface finishing sector have to comply with. But when these pieces of...

The Environmental Permitting Regulations (England and Wales) 2016 (or EPR 2016) are on their way and members of the Surface Engineering Association (SEA) need to be ready. Last year the Welsh Government and DEFRA decided that it was necessary to consolidate all of the...

Since 2007, the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals) Directive has been in force across the EU. The aim of the Directive is to ensure the safe use of chemicals throughout the supply chain, and to provide a high level of...

under this legislation? Follow us: REACH - What's happening under this legislation? As anyone working within the surface engineering and heat treatment sector will know, the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) Regulations have...

The Surface Engineering Leadership Forum (SELF) was officially launched at the House of Lords on Monday 11th February 2019. SELF explained SELF has been set up to promote the surface engineering sector, and to ensure that it continues to grow and achieve a competitive...

The Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) for authorisation now contains 197 substances. Helsinki, 15 January 2019 – ECHA has added five new substances to the Candidate List due to the carcinogenic, toxic to reproduction, persistent,...

The reorganisation aims to support the implementation of ECHA’s new strategy, step up work in key areas, allow efficient and flexible ways of working, and enable ECHA to take on more responsibilities. Helsinki, 10 January 2019 – Together with the revision of ECHA’s...

Inspectors, working together with customs authorities, have started checking the compliance of importers and manufacturers with REACH registration obligations as part of an EU-wide Forum enforcement project. Helsinki, 9 January 2019 – The inspections are part of...

After the recent discussion in REACH committee concerning the review periods for upstream applications, ZVO has now compiled a Position Paper on this matter. The use of chromium trioxide became subject to authorisation by inclusion in Annex XIV of REACH. The...

Held at the 5-star Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, in the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, this year’s SEA gala dinner and awards evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. This was the second time the SEA Awards have been held jointly with the CHTA, and we were...

The British Allied Trades Federation has commissioned a portrait in memory of one of their most influential and long serving decision makers, C H Plenderleith, known to all as Bob, who sadly passed away late last year aged 96. He was an active member of the...

The Horizon 2020 Project - what it is and how does it impact on surface engineering?   What is the Horizon 2020 Project? The Horizon 2020 Project is the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.  It is the biggest EU research and innovation programme to date...

The biennial co-sponsored event of the Surface Engineering Association and the Contract Heat Treatment Association was held at its new venue, the Midland Hotel Manchester on 30th September 2016. The fantastic event, which has continued to increase in stature and...

How the Surface Engineering Association works hard for its members The Surface Engineering Association plays a pivotal role in the surface engineering and finishing industry. Anyone working in the industry will reap a number of great benefits by being a member of the...

Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 are to be updated to consolidate the various amendments made since its publication, as well as taking into account any revisions made to...

If you work in the surface coating, metal finishing or heat treatment industries, then the 2015 Surface Engineering & Heat Treatment Industry conference is the event for you. In partnership with the Contract Heat Treatment Association (CHTA) and the Wolfson Heat...