EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

UK Manufacturers Outpace Peers

New analysis from FourJaw Manufacturing Analytics produced for the recent National Productivity Week shows the UK manufacturing sector has achieved sustained growth in output and productivity over the past five years, despite a smaller workforce and historically high levels of inflation. FourJaw’s analysis of the world’s largest manufacturing economies found that UK output in 2025 was 6% above 2020 levels, after accounting for inflation.

This real-terms growth outpaced that of peers such as the US (+4%) and Japan (+2%), while Germany saw a 6% decline. Despite a 4% reduction in the UK factory workforce, output has continued to rise, suggesting increased adoption of automation, robotics and data analytics to drive efficiency. In 2025, only factories in the US (£449k per worker) and France (£339k per worker) produced more output per worker than in the UK (£253k per worker).

More information www.fourjaw.com

Renishaw names CFO

Renishaw has appointed John Shipsey as chief financial officer and executive director. He joins with significant board and executive leadership experience, having undertaken the role of CFO in various companies, including Dyson, Smiths Group and Featurespace. Shipsey also held finance and strategy roles at Diageo earlier in his career and served as a non-executive director of Dechra Pharmaceuticals. CEO Will Lee says: “John’s breadth of financial and executive leadership experience, combined with his deep understanding of the industrials sector, will be invaluable to us as we work towards our strategic targets.”

More information www.renishaw.com

AM cell at Rolls-Royce

Luke Pollard MP, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, has opened a new additive manufacturing (AM) development cell at Rolls-Royce’s Defence Assembly and Operations facility in Bristol. Housed in a custom-built 350 m² space, the humidity, temperature and air pressure are carefully optimised to ensure consistent quality. The AM machinery manufactures aerospace components layer by layer using metal superalloy powders; constructing complex metal components by melting layers of powder using laser beams. As well as weight savings, the parts developed in the cell will enable quicker delivery.

More information www.bit.ly/42rFEFv

NMITE secures landmark degree accreditation

The Hereford-based New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) has secured accreditation from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) for its BEng and MEng Integrated Engineering degrees. IET accreditation is one of the most rigorous external validations available to engineering degrees in the UK, confirming that NMITE’s programmes meet the highest standards of quality, technical excellence and professional relevance. NMITE’s accredited status is now formally recognised on both the IET and Engineering Council UK databases.

More information www.nmite.ac.uk

GrindingHub 2026 isfully booked 

Rising energy and material costs, volatile markets, geopolitical uncertainties, and ongoing pressure to innovate and improve efficiency are currently shaping the operating environment for grinding technology. This makes GrindingHub in Stuttgart this week all the more noteworthy: on 5-8 May, some 460 exhibitors from 28 countries will showcase their latest advances.

The trade show has established itself as a key platform for professional exchange and the presentation of practical solutions related to the grinding process. With three fully booked halls, the number of exhibitors has reached a level comparable to that of 2024, sending a clear signal in an economically challenging environment.

More information www.grindinghub.de/en