THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Showered With Precious Metals in Shanghai

An aircraft maintenance engineer, a lab technician and the coolest refrigeration expert on the planet, are among 21 UK medallists at WorldSkills 2026 in China who showed the strength of the nation’s skills. Team UK, the country’s brightest young apprentices and professionals, were showered with medals as they triumphed in Shanghai, picking up two golds, one silver and three bronze medals at the so-called ‘skills Olympics’. 

A further 13 ‘Medals for Excellence’, denoting world-class standards, were awarded to the UK, meaning medal recognition for 19 of the 25 skills in which Team UK competed. This is the strongest performance since 2017. All 28 young professionals and apprentices, exponents of a wide range of skills that included high-tech robotics and Industry 4.0, returned home enhanced by the experience of competing against 1400 peers from over 70 nations. 

More information www.worldskillsuk.org 

Airbus Invests in UK Capabilities and People

Airbus is accelerating its global industrial strategy, converting its former A380 wing production facility into an A321 line in Broughton, UK. Set for completion by the end of the year, this latest investment ensures the Airbus ‘Home of Wings’ is well prepared to meet future aircraft production targets.  

Once complete, the facility will host six wing production jigs, an equipping line and paint shop, specifically designed to feed the backlog of around 7500 A320 family aircraft, of which around 75% are A321s. Across the Broughton site, Airbus has also created around 480 new, high-value jobs in 2026, including 250 positions in the refurbished factory. These roles join the 6000-strong workforce in Broughton. 

More information www.airbus.com 

Tungaloy and NTK Cutting Tools Set to Merge

Tungaloy Corporation and NTK Cutting Tools are set to merge, effective 1 January 2027, marking a new chapter for both organisations. The integrated organisation will operate under the Tungaloy corporate name, while retaining the NTK brand. NTK Cutting Tools will operate as a dedicated division within Tungaloy, building on the technology, heritage and expertise that have established its strong reputation in the cutting tool industry. Alongside the integration, plans have been finalised for a new headquarters and state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for NTK Cutting Tools in the Nagoya area of Japan.  

More information www.tungaloy.com 

Engineer Retires After 50 Years on The Shop Floor

An engineer is hanging up his micrometre after spending more than five decades on the shop floor. Gerry Dunne, who started his working career as an apprentice toolmaker with Brandauer in Birmingham in 1976, will retire as operations director of Pre-Met in Redditch at the end of this month. Dunne has spent the past seven years supporting the growth of the metal stampings and pressing specialist. 

The industry veteran has used his hand-on leadership style to champion lean manufacturing and just-in-time processes, helping the firm achieve more than £3m of new orders across automotive, rail and, more recently, defence. “It’s been a fantastic 50 years,” he says. “I’ve made so many lifelong friends and been involved in manufacturing businesses that make products we use in everyday life.” 

More information www.metalpressingsandstampings.co.uk 

Kennametal Named NASCAR Official Tooling Supplier 

Kennametal is now the Official Tooling Supplier of NASCAR. Dave Bersaglini, Kennametal vice president and president of metal cutting, unveiled the designation at the company’s ‘Next Level Shop’ exhibit on the first day of the IMTS exhibition in Chicago earlier this month. The designation builds on years of collaboration between Kennametal and NASCAR,  

including on-site testing, application support and tooling solutions. 

“Every thousandth of an inch matters in NASCAR, and that’s exactly the kind of precision 

Kennametal brings to its customers,” said Bersaglini. “We’re proud to work alongside  

NASCAR’s engineering and manufacturing teams to meet the sport’s unique machining  

demands and deliver the speed, precision and reliability required to keep this sport  

performing at the highest level.” 

More information www.kennametal.com