EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Olympic champions visit Renishaw

Renishaw recently hosted a special event at its Miskin manufacturing facility in South Wales that celebrated the intersection of cutting-edge additive manufacturing (AM) technology and high-performance sports. Team GB cyclists Emma Finucane and Sophie Capewell visited Renishaw to share their experiences, inspiring the next generation of STEM innovators and highlighting Renishaw’s contribution to Great Britain’s Olympic success.

An extensive tour of Renishaw’s manufacturing site gave attendees the opportunity to see the advanced AM technologies used to create key components for Great Britain’s Olympic track bikes. Attendees saw first-hand how Renishaw’s AM capabilities enable high-performance sporting innovations, aiding the success of athletes like Finucane and Capewell.

More information www.renishaw.com/stemoutreach

FANUC celebrates young robotics talent

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

50 new jobs in Sheffield

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

More space for Tadweld

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

Italian machine tool orders increase

In Q3 2024, Italy’s index of machine tool orders – compiled by the Economic Studies Department and Business Culture Centre of UCIMU – returned to positive territory by recording a 7.9% increase compared with the same period in 2023. Orders collected overseas reported a 10.7% upturn, while domestics orders saw a 4.3% rise. Riccardo Rosa, president of UCIMU, states: “The return of the order index to a positive sign after six consecutive quarters of decline is welcome news, because it interrupts a trend that has accompanied the sector for too long.”

More information www.ucimu.it