EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Astemo to Build New Production Line at Bolton

Astemo UK Ltd will build a new production line for inverters for next-generation electric vehicles at its Bolton plant. The initiative has been approved by the UK Government’s Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF), with production scheduled to begin in April 2027. It is expected to create and secure employment for an estimated 220 jobs, with a total programme investment value of over £100m. This investment in the Bolton, UK plant marks the fourth country in which Astemo manufactures electrification products, following Japan, the US and China.

More information www.astemo.com

Sheffield Forgemasters in foundry collaboration

In the spirit of collaboration, Sheffield Forgemasters’ Foundry team has undertaken exchange visits with a foundry in the Midlands. Delegates from Newby Foundry in the West Midlands visited Sheffield Forgemasters’ Brightside Lane Foundry to look at casting processes for ultra-large castings, while the Sheffield Forgemasters foundry team visited Newby’s facilities to see manufacture of smaller-scale, bulk castings.

The reciprocal visits helped teams from both foundries compare vastly different techniques and see if there are any technologies or processes which could be transferred or learned from. Paul Ashcroft, Sheffield Forgemasters’ operation lead – foundry, says: “The initiative to host exchange visits with Newby Foundry was a great way to see the different processes that can be adopted for the manufacture of castings in vastly different sizes.”

More information www.sheffieldforgemasters.com

Key European role for FANUC’s Bouchier

Tom Bouchier, managing director of factory automation specialist FANUC UK and FANUC Ireland, will take on the additional role of northern Europe co-ordinator, vice president FANUC Europe, from 1 September 2025. FANUC says this strategic appointment demonstrates its commitment to strengthening the company’s European sales strategy and reinforcing collaboration across the region.

In his expanded remit, Bouchier will provide co-ordination and guidance across northern Europe, supporting FANUC UK’s continued growth and alignment with the company’s broader European goals. He says: “In my expanded role, I’m looking forward to aligning the goals and aims of FANUC UK and FANUC Ireland with those of FANUC EU, bridging the gap towards a more successful, innovative and productive manufacturing sector.”

More information www.fanuc.eu

Start-up programme to accelerate innovation

Digital transformation specialist PTC has launched a new start-up programme to help early-stage companies bring new products and innovations to the aerospace and defence market faster. The initiative offers free access to PTC software that includes its Creo+ software-as-a-service (SaaS) CAD solution, Onshape cloud-native CAD and product data management (PDM) platform. Firms can also tap into the Codebeamer+ application lifecycle management (ALM) solution, as well as a start-up package for its Arena product lifecycle management (PLM) and quality management system (QMS) solutions.

More information www.bit.ly/3GXIxHc

Boosting UK Offshore Wind Manufacturing

The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) has launched its 2025 Manufacturing Facility Support Programme (MFSP). Applications are now open for a new round of funding aimed at boosting the UK’s offshore wind manufacturing capacity. The MFSP is designed to support businesses seeking to build new or expand existing manufacturing facilities that serve the offshore wind sector

With a total funding pot of £2m available, the programme offers grants of up to £500,000 per project to support early-stage, pre-investment activities that pave the way for significant capital investment in UK manufacturing. Successful projects will be expected to generate at least £5m in capital investment within two years, £5m in annual revenue and 20 new UK jobs within five years. 

More information www.bit.ly/41rLxlU