With energy costs continuing to rise and events around the world creating an uncertain marketplace for power supply, XYZ Machine Tools has taken control by installing a further 352 PV solar panels on the roof of its 100,000 ft² facility in Devon. The company has already witnessed occasions when the whole factory has been powered by green energy. The amount of power created, used and fed back to the grid is monitored using software.

“We continue to investigate ways to help protect the planet here at XYZ,” states Chris Hellier, operations and finance director. “Biodiversity is a topic that’s important to us, as we’ve shown with our ISO 14001 environmental management accreditation. We now plan to utilise the roof space of our new 30,000 ft² extension, due for completion in mid 2026, for even more solar panels.”

More information www.xyzmachinetools.com

MACH 2026 organiser, the Manufacturing Technologies Association MTA, has revealed the UK’s national event for inspiring, innovating and connecting manufacturing attracted around 26,000 visitors across five days in Birmingham last month. Day three (Wednesday) was officially recognised as the event’s busiest day. MACH, which will next take place on 3-7 April 2028, welcomed His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh on the Thursday.

James Selka, CEO of the MTA, said: “Our core focus was to ensure this year’s show guided and supported manufacturers in navigating challenges such as rising operational costs, skills shortages, supply chain disruption and geopolitical uncertainty. I believe we achieved that, and more, with 26,000 attendees seeking ways to remain competitive in the current challenging and uncertain environment in which we operate.”

More information www.machexhibition.com

Mills CNC is describing its attendance at last month’s MACH 2026 exhibition in Birmingham
as nothing short of incredible and exceptional. With 41 orders for new machines and some
200 serious enquiries taken during the week-long show, the company reports that the event
has proved the best and most successful MACH Mills has attended in its 52-year history. In
total, the company’s stand hosted over 3000 visitors.

Reflects Tony Dale, Mills CNC’s CEO: “What a fantastic show. From day one, our stand was
busy, creating a real buzz among visitors. I would like to thank everyone who visited our
MACH stand, it was much appreciated. We’re now actively engaged in following up the
hundreds of enquiries and leads taken at the exhibition, and I’m confident this activity will
result in even more sales in the weeks and months ahead.”
More information www.millscnc.co.uk

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