Phase I of Aston Martin’s new manufacturing facility at St Athan in Wales is now complete. Work started on the plant in late 2016 when Aston Martin was first given access to the former MOD site. Phase I works included the creation of the customer and staff reception areas, administration and management offices, and the employee restaurant.

Phase II, which commenced in April 2017, will see three super hangars redeveloped into a manufacturing facility, with Aston Martin’s SUV due to start production in 2019. The new plant brings employment opportunities to Wales with up to 750 new roles being created.
For further information www.astonmartin.com

Solidcam UK is set to open a new technology centre in Barnsley which will deliver technology transfer and be a driver for growth. Gordon Drysdale, managing director, says: “We ran successful monthly seminars at our technology centre near Milton Keynes, which enabled engineers to see the whole manufacturing process from design through to the manufacture of finished pars.

We outgrew that location. We are now moving the technology centre to Barnsley, which will bring us together in one location so that customers can see our full range of services and meet all the Solidcam UK team in a new and much bigger environment.”
For further information www.solidcamuk.com

As well as being the UK’s largest manufacturing technologies showcase, MACH 2018 plays host to an Education & Development (E&D) Zone specifically designed for students aged 11-19. The E&D Zone will bring together advanced engineering companies and educational institutions from across the UK, with the aim of shining a light on the vocational education and training that is imperative to closing the skills gap around the world.

The E&D Zone is once again supported by Sandvik Coromant, a supplier of tools, tooling and solutions to the metalworking industry. Kim Olander, marketing manager, says: “Engineering knowledge and skills are in short supply and we need to secure enough skilled people in the future to meet demand. Sandvik Coromant is proud to partner with the E&D Zone once again. We hope to enthuse young people about the vast range of careers that engineering can offer them.”
For further information www.machexhibition.com

A six-figure funding package from the Royal Bank of Scotland has helped to support the acquisition of Bryn Precision (formerly SZ Gears) by Caerphilly-based firm JR Gilbert Engineering. Since a management buy-in that took place in 2012, directors Nick Robbins and Colin Beavis have expanded the business significantly from employing three staff to 33, while turnover has risen from £240,000 to £1.5m in the past five years.

The acquisition of Bryn Precision has secured six jobs and resulted in the recruitment of two new members of staff. Operating from a 10,000 sq ft site in Blackwood, Bryn Precision not only expands the JR Gilbert Engineering business but strengthens its offering with the addition of a niche gear-cutting facility. JR Gilbert now has the ability to produce a range of gears, sprockets, splines, rack and pinion sets.
For further information www.rbs.co.uk/corporate