The April issue was a landmark for us. Not only did it mark the start of the new financial year, it also saw us achieve our highest ever readership. It seems the new-look magazine is popular with you guys, and we thank you for your continued support.

This month, though, we hope to better last month’s performance and have a number of treats for you. As well as the market leading company reports you have come to expect, and very much enjoy reading, we have articles that strike to the core of a number of important issues in manufacturing: health and safety, financing, procurement and absenteeism.

Perhaps the most pertinent of those is the issue of health and safety. Our worry is that as order books begin to swell, reflecting the easing of global recession, the shopfloor will inevitably come under pressure to perform. Gay Sutton’s article offers advice on how to ramp up production without jeopardizing health and safety.