Gavril Abramovich Ilizarov was a Soviet physician, who became famous for inventing the Ilizarov apparatus for lengthening limb bones. Ilizarov was born in Poland to a Jewish family from the Russian Empire. Shortly after his birth the family moved to Azerbaijan, where he grew up. He then went on to graduate from Derbent Medical Rabfac (an educational establishment set up to prepare workers and peasants for higher education) and also Crimea Medical School.
In 1944 he was sent to a rural hospital in Siberia, where he worked as a general practitioner. …

2013 marks the centenary of Harry Brearley’s invention of Stainless Steel. This development revolutionised the modern world, and put Sheffield on the map as the “Great Industrial Powerhouse”.
Sheffield is famous around the world for its contributions to the steel industry, and now celebrates by hosting a series of events to mark the anniversary.
Exhibitions and events confirmed as part of the 100 Years of Stainless Steel programme so far include:

Designed to Shine exhibition, the Millennium Gallery, 16 Februray-13 October 2013
Rustless- The Harry Brearley Story, Kelham Island …

England and the NHS is facing the biggest baby boom in 40 years, just as cutbacks in maternity budgets hit our hospitals. More than a quarter of UK Heads of Midwifery reported that their budget has been cut in the last 12 months, and the Royal College of Midwives has warned that this is putting NHS Maternity Services under enormous pressure.
New figures suggest that more than 700000 babies will be born in England this year, the first time such a level has been reached since 1971. Birth rates have been …

Business Secretary Vince Cable has recently visited the Science Museum in London, opening the Make it in Great Britain Exhibition which takes place for six weeks during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
It is the culmination of the Government’s Make it in Great Britain campaign which is run by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The campaign and exhibition aims to show young people the rewarding career opportunities available in British Manufacturing, dispelling the myth that the UK ‘doesn’t make anything anymore’. The exhibition features businesses of all sizes, …

The London 2012 Olympics began in spectacular style with Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony being watched by millions of people around the world.
It paid homage to the National Health Service, which was featured as one of Britain’s proudest achievements during the £27m extravaganza. More than 600 real life nurses were amongst the 10,000 people who had volunteered to take part. Boyle said that the volunteers who came from the NHS were “proud people” that “work for something that they truly, truly believe in.” He added, “One of the reasons we put …

February 2012 sees Platts & Nisbett celebrate 35 Years of British Manufacturing excellence. Quite an achievement considering the difficult times the manufacturing industry has faced over the years.
During recent times we have seen the complete migration of some industries to the Far East, particularly those involving high volume products. Foreign competition means that low cost commodities can no longer be produced in the UK, however high quality merchandise can still be made here. The demand in the lucrative export market is very high for the prestige brands where price is …

The Sheffield Steel industry is famous around the world, with its factories being vital to Britain’s wartime success. During both World Wars, women were drafted in to keep the steel works running, doing jobs which had previously been carried out by men. When the men of Sheffield were called up to fight it fell to the women of the city to keep the steel mills working, with thousands balancing family life with working in heavy industry. The work they undertook was both back breaking and dangerous, and many women risked …

Buyers in all sectors recognise the importance of managing an effective supply chain. Companies are working harder than ever to keep costs down, whilst at the same time ensuring that the all important quality standards are met.
This is particularly important in our industry, the manufacture of Medical Devices. At Platts & Nisbett we recognise the importance of quality, and our surgical instruments speak for themselves. On paper our ISO13485 Certificate proves it, but is this the case with all your suppliers?
It may come as a shock to learn that …

The inventor of Stainless Steel, Harry Brearley was born in Sheffield in 1871. He was the son of a steel melter, and left school at the age of twelve to begin work in a laboratory washing bottles. In his own time he undertook private study and attended night school, becoming an expert in the analysis of steel and its production. After establishing a reputation for solving metallurgical problems, Brearley was given an opportunity to set up the Brown Firth Laboratories in 1908. This was financed by two leading Sheffield steel …

Welcome to 1977, the year which saw a wealth of engineering talent and experience came together to form Platts & Nisbett!

Here are some other interesting events which were taking place at the time…
January – The world’s first personal computer, the Commodore PET, is demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago.
February – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom opens the New Zealand Parliament.
March – The government reveals that inflation has pushed prices up by nearly 70% within three years.
April – Optical fibre is first used to carry live telephone …