EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Modern MINI Celebrates 25 Years of Manufacturing

2026 marks a major milestone for MINI: 25 years since production of the modern MINI began under the BMW Group. MINI’s modern era has been powered by its UK production heartland. At the centre of that story are two UK manufacturing hubs: Plant Oxford, the home of MINI production; and BMW Group Plant Swindon, where thousands of precision-engineered body panels are crafted every day.

The two sites represent one of the UK’s most significant automotive manufacturing hubs, with a workforce of more than 3000 producing around 800 MINIs a day. At Plant Oxford, a new MINI rolls off the production line every 78 seconds.The story took another important step in 2006 when BMW Group Plant Hams Hall in Warwickshire began producing MINI engines. The site has made more than 4.6 million engines for Oxford-built models.

More information www.mini.co.uk

Notable appointment

ModuleWorks, a developer of advanced machining and simulation software components, has appointed Gürsel Demircali as its chief strategy and transformation officer. The newly created role is intended to strengthen the company’s global partner network and support its continued expansion in digital manufacturing. Demircali brings more than two decades of experience across the manufacturing technology sector. He began as a CNC machinist, before moving into CADCAM software and digital manufacturing, where he went on to hold executive leadership roles.

More information www.moduleworks.com

New MD for Regent

One of the UK’s longest-standing precision engineering firms, Regent Engineering, has announced a significant leadership transition, as Stuart Whitehouse has been appointed managing director, succeeding long-serving directors Alan and John Shaw. The appointment marks both a continuation of a proud family legacy and the beginning of a new era for the Darlaston-based manufacturer, which has roots stretching back to 1941. Founded by Arthur Shaw, the business has grown from a local toolmaking operation into a respected supplier of pressings, welded assemblies and fabricated products serving UK and European markets.

More information www.regenteng.com

EU urged to bolster relations with UK automotive

The UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers (SMMT) is calling on the EU to amend its proposed Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) to keep the UK automotive sector as a trusted partner that ‘makes in Europe’. Granting equivalent treatment to UK-built vehicles and parts across all automotive-related provisions of the IAA will maintain a long-nurtured, mutually beneficial trading relationship creating economic growth and jobs, supporting industrial transformation and driving decarbonisation. In contrast, the SMMT argues excluding UK automotive from the IAA’s ‘Made in Europe’ policy would disrupt supply chain resilience.

More information www.smmt.co.uk

Durr NDT celebrates 20 years of industrial X-ray

Dürr NDT celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026. The company was founded in 2006 as a subsidiary of Dürr Dental SE, which has expertise in X-ray technology dating back to 1966. This means that a total of 60 years of experience in X-ray technology underpins DürrNDT’s current developments. The company leverages this solid know-how to develop state-of-the-art digital technologies for non-destructive testing (NDT). Typical applications include weld inspection, erosion and corrosion inspection, and the inspection of castings, as well as scientific material testing. Dürr NDT products are available worldwide.
More information www.duerr-ndt.com