EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Mills CNC Names Technology Show Date

Mills CNC’s ‘Innovation Day’ technology show, focused on best-practice one-hit machining, advanced multi-tasking machine tools, and integrated automation systems and solutions, will demonstrate how visitors to the event can increase their productivity, improve their process efficiencies and maintain their competitive edge. The event will also provide the ideal venue to introduce the Heller HF 5500 FLEX horizontal simultaneous five-axis mill-turn machine to component manufacturers in the UK and Ireland.

The technology event will take place at Mills CNC’s campus facility in Leamington on 8 October 2026. While much of the initial limelight will be on the Heller HF 5500 FLEX, 10 machine tools from DN Solutions will also be showcased at the event. Mills is also set to present its latest automation systems to attendees.

More information www.millscnc.co.uk

Somers Forge Celebrates Two Of Its Longest Servers

Somers Forge, a metal forger based in Halesowen has celebrated nearly a century of combined service from two of its longest-serving employees. Machine shop inspector Kevin Woodward has reached 50 years with the firm, while machine shop supervisor Pete Hodgetts has built a career at the forge spanning more than four decades. Woodward and Hodgetts, both 66, followed their families to work in the forge, with both being third-generation employees. They were joined by their families to mark the anniversaries, where they enjoyed a cake baked by a colleague and received a Fortnum & Mason hamper.

More information www.somersforge.com

NCMT Secures £13.5m NatWest Funding

Coventry-based machine tool supplier NCMT has secured a major new banking deal to support its management buyout and accelerate growth in the UK’s advanced manufacturing sector. The business has agreed a new primary banking relationship with NatWest, including an £8.3m revolving credit facility and a £4m bond facility, plus foreign exchange and operational support, taking total facilities to £13.5m.

The package is designed to give the management team the financial headroom to modernise the business, invest in innovation and support larger, more complex contracts in the UK and overseas. NCMT has already used part of the funding to complete a management buyout from its previous shareholders, putting control firmly in the hands of the existing leadership team and setting the company up for its next phase of growth.

More information www.natwestgroup.com

Partnership Expands

Rolls-Royce is expanding its partnership with Marand Precision Engineering into a new export venture, supplying naval gas turbine propulsion packages to the Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme. In addition, Rolls-Royce has opened a new regional Defence Headquarters in Canberra, Australia, marking a milestone in the company’s commitment to supporting the Australian Defence Force (ADF), building Australian sovereign industrial capability and expanding its presence in the Pacific Rim. Rolls-Royce engineers are co-located at Marand’s facility in Melbourne.

More information www.rolls-royce.com

Coolant Approval

Fuchs Lubricants EcoCool Global 1000 has earned Boeing BAC 5008 Sections 5 & 6 approval, giving manufacturers even greater freedom to adopt high-performance coolant technology without compromising on aerospace compliance. De­vel­oped using ad­vanced lu­bri­cant tech­nol­ogy, EcoCool Global 1000 was en­gi­neered to help man­u­fac­tur­ers get more from every ma­chin­ing op­er­a­tion while meet­ing the strin­gent re­quire­ments ex­pected by today’s aero­space in­dus­try. Whether machining titanium, nickel-based alloys or aluminium, the fluid is designed to deliver consistent performance.

More information www.tinyurl.com/3uz4xnzj