Fabricator Transitions From CO2 To Fibre Laser With BLM

Helping to position Bell Steel Fabrications, Cricklade, for its next phase of growth is an 8 kW BLM LS7 fibre laser profiling centre, replacing a decade-old CO2 laser cutter. The investment supports the fabricator’s diverse customer base, including its specialist production of bespoke stainless steel exhaust systems for classic cars, which accounts for around 40% of turnover.

Established in 1977, Bell Steel Fabrications has grown into a 21-employee business supplying customers in the UK and overseas. Managing director Matthew Bell first encountered BLM Group at the MACH 2010 exhibition, leading to the purchase of an Elect 80 electric tube bender that has delivered reliable performance and strong aftersales support ever since.

“When the time came to replace our flat-bed laser, BLM was the natural choice,” says Bell. “We assessed three suppliers but felt BLM offered the best combination of quality and value.”

Installed in March 2026, the LS7 delivers reductions in operating costs compared with the previous CO2 machine. Bell estimates annual electricity and gas savings of around £20,000, while benefiting from faster processing, lower maintenance requirements and greater energy efficiency.

The machine processes mild steel, stainless steel and aluminium components for applications ranging from classic vehicle parts and architectural metalwork to structural fabrications and industrial equipment. Features including fly-cut technology, active piercing, automatic focus adjustment and automatic nozzle changing improve productivity, particularly for the company’s high mix of small-batch and prototype work.

Although Bell Steel Fabrications has not yet automated material handling, the LS7 can be integrated with BLM storage and handling systems as production demands grow. The investment provides greater productivity, flexibility and future capacity, strengthening the company’s position as a value-focused engineering partner for subcontract manufacturing.

More information www.blmgroup.com

German Machine Tool Orders See 15% Rise in Q1

Following three difficult years, the German machine tool industry can breathe a first sigh of relief: incoming orders increased by 15% in Q1 2026. Nevertheless, the situation remains challenging. Production, exports and employment continue to fall, while the conflict in the Middle East is leading to greater uncertainty and higher costs. “The situation appears to have bottomed out, although we’re nowhere near to reversing the trend,” states Bernhard Geis, head of economics and statistics at the VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association). “The coming months will show whether the recovery is more permanent.”

More information www.vdw.de

£2.5m EU opportunity

A major UK metal stamping company is targeting £2.5m of new EU opportunities after appointing a new European technical specialist. Brandauer, which provides precision components for more than 15 high-value sectors, has brought in multilingual industry expert Jürgen Wollbold to increase its presence on the ground in France, Germany and Spain. Wollbold says: “We’ve identified £5m of new opportunities across the EU and I feel it’s more than reasonable to believe we can convert at least half of these, especially those that involve precision stamping, in-house tooling, laminations and press-fit applications.”

More information www.brandauer.co.uk

5G Trial

A collaborative project at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland’s (NMIS) Digital Process Manufacturing Centre (DPMC) in Irvine has shown how private 5G mobile networks could support demand for secure, high-capacity connectivity in manufacturing. The project simulated a manufacturing use case and trialled network performance in a factory-like setting. The system was tested under progressively increasing loads, reaching an average data throughput of more than 97 Mbps, with peaks above 100 Mbps. The results suggest the system could support hundreds of simulated industrial environments simultaneously.

More information www.nmis.scot

£30m Push Into Aerospace, Defence And Anergy

Securing more than £30m of new orders in defence, energy and aerospace is helping one of Bridgnorth’s largest employers bounce back from a tough trading period. Grainger & Worrall is utilising is technical expertise and production capability in complex aluminium sand casting to win work with customers manufacturing light aircraft engines, specialist vehicle transmissions and datacentre applications.

The senior management team is looking to capitalise on this recent upturn by signing off a £1m investment programme and completing a recruitment drive for 30 new employees across its manufacturing, maintenance and quality departments. Grainger & Worrall has been delivering full-process precision casting solutions for more than 70 years. Employing over 450 people, the company serves global clients across five continents.

More information www.gwcast.com