FANUC UK is celebrating the achievements of the country’s brightest young industrial robotics talent following the WorldSkills UK winners ceremony, held in in Manchester last month. Morgan Leyshon and Aled Gore, both 21 and from Bridgend College in Wales, were awarded ‘Gold’ in the ‘Industrial Robotics WorldSkills UK’ competition, held in conjunction with industry partner and factory automation specialist FANUC UK.

The duo beat over 80 competitors in the gruelling eight-month long contest, which culminated in the live finals held last month at FANUC’s open house event in Coventry. Leyshon and Gore now have the chance to represent Team UK at the WorldSkills International Industrial Robotics competition in Shanghai, China in 2026.

More information www.bit.ly/484XXBj

BAE Systems is establishing a new artillery development and production facility in Sheffield, funded with investments of more than £25m, which will create 50 high-skilled jobs. The new 8733 m² facility will house a state-of-the-art factory specialising in artillery expertise that will deliver the company’s M777 lightweight towed howitzer manufacturing capability and support the Government’s ambitions to sustain and revitalise vital UK artillery capabilities.

Work is already underway to prepare the site for operations in 2025. BAE Systems’ Weapons Systems UK designs, develops, manufactures and supports artillery systems and naval guns.

More information www.baesystems.com

Tadweld, a specialist in steelwork solutions for over 40 years, is making a £1m+ investment in a new building adjacent to its current site in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire. The expansion

will enable the company to expand its operations significantly, adding 1022 m² of manufacturing space, 557 m² of offices and a further 557 m² of yard space. After renovation during 2025, Tadweld expects the new building will become the administrative headquarters of the business, taking its workshop count to four. The company is looking to create an additional 30 skilled jobs over the coming five years.

More information www.tadweld.co.uk

Make UK has launched the Industrial Strategy Skills Commission to help solve the country’s growing skills deficit in manufacturing and engineering. The organisation has brought together some of the most qualified experts in education, training and industry to diagnose the widescale problems in the skills system and create an effective talent pathway into manufacturing. It is this skilled workforce pipeline that will prove critical to the success of the Government’s new Industrial Strategy, called Invest 2035, which aims to drive growth and digital transformation in manufacturing over the next few years.

More information www.makeuk.org