(L-R) Lord Baker and Jim Wade at the JCB Academy site.

Lord Baker praises JCB Academy
Rocester, United Kingdom
Britain's former education secretary has given his thumbs-up for the new GBP22 million (USD36.8 million) JCB Academy.
"This is the shape of things to come as far as education in England is concerned," Lord Baker says.
Baker says that the academy will provide the technicians and engineering skills needed when the UK comes out of recession.
"We have never trained enough engineers in our country and the JCB Academy will provide magnificent training and is the sort of college that links the mind and the hand," he adds.
Lord Baker, Britain's first minister of IT and responsible for introducing computers into schools, was given a tour of JCB Academy by principal Jim Wade.

TVH services Curtis controllers
Waregem, Belgium
Curtis Instruments (UK) Ltd has appointed TVH Forklift Parts NV as its authorised European service and repair centre for a range of DC motor speed controllers.
TVH's team of 35 electronic engineers will now service and repair the 1204, 1204X, 1205, 1205X, 1207, 1207A and 1243 models of Curtis controllers.
TVH spokesman Lorenz Verfaillie says Curtis controllers are used in forklift brands that include Atlet, Rocla, Pramac and Still.

NMHG endorses Safe Tech software
Sheffield, United Kingdom
Nacco Material Handling Group Inc (NMHG) has adopted UK-based Safe Technology Ltd's fatigue analysis software to predict the durability of welded structures, castings and individual components in forklifts.
NMHG says the "Verity" structural stress method incorporated into the "fe-safe" software is "the most advanced weld fatigue analysis methodology" available.