THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

£30m Push Into Aerospace, Defence And Anergy

Securing more than £30m of new orders in defence, energy and aerospace is helping one of Bridgnorth’s largest employers bounce back from a tough trading period. Grainger & Worrall is utilising is technical expertise and production capability in complex aluminium sand casting to win work with customers manufacturing light aircraft engines, specialist vehicle transmissions and datacentre applications.

The senior management team is looking to capitalise on this recent upturn by signing off a £1m investment programme and completing a recruitment drive for 30 new employees across its manufacturing, maintenance and quality departments. Grainger & Worrall has been delivering full-process precision casting solutions for more than 70 years. Employing over 450 people, the company serves global clients across five continents.

More information www.gwcast.com

MTT Becomes Latest Renishaw Channel Partner

Renishaw has appointed Machine Tool Technologies (MTT) as an official Channel Partner. The move marks an important milestone in a relationship that spans more than 25 years, built on a shared commitment to precision, technical excellence and customer support for CNC machine tools. In fact, the appointment sees MTT become a Platinum Partner, providing access to the portfolio of Renishaw encoder products.

MTT has built extensive capability across Renishaw’s machine tool metrology portfolio, including laser calibration systems and machine tool products, consistently delivering high standards of service and application support. As a Channel Partner, MTT will play a key role in supporting customers with Renishaw’s FORTiS enclosed linear encoder. Renishaw says the FORTiS enclosed encoder meets the demands of modern, high‑performance machine tools.

More information www.renishaw.com

Whitehouse Wins Mitsubishi EDM Agency in UK

Whitehouse Machine Tools has been appointed the UK sales and service agent for Mitsubishi Electric’s range of wire-cut and die-sink EDM machines. The strategic partnership represents a significant expansion of the agent’s portfolio, which currently includes notable machine tool brands such as Brother, Spinner and Biglia, spanning machining centre and CNC lathe technologies.

As part of the new agency agreement, Scott Elsmere and Dean Barnes, have both joined the team at Whitehouse Machine Tools to ensure seamless continuity of service. Experienced engineers with decades of technical sales experience and applications expertise in the manufacturing industry, Elsmere and Barnes have recently been engaged in the sales of Mitsubishi Electric EDM machines.

More information www.wmtcnc.com

Anochrome acquired by its management team

Private equity firm Endless LLP has supported a management buyout of the Anochrome Group, a UK-headquartered surface finishing and coatings specialist. Anochrome, which has its headquarters in Wolverhampton, has been trading for over 80 years, providing surface coatings, corrosion protection and thread-locking sealants services to a diverse customer base across a range of sectors, including automotive, construction, industrial fixings, motor sports and renewables.

Anochrome operates from sites in the UK, Poland and Czechia. The transaction represents a transition from long-standing family ownership and the start of a new phase for the business. Endless’ investment will support Anochrome’s next stage of development and growth. The business will continue to be led by its existing senior management team, headed by Mark Jones.

More information www.anochrome.com

Manchester Best City For Manufacturing Growth

Manchester has been named the UK’s leading city for manufacturing in 2026, according to the Tadweld UK Manufacturing Index, a new study ranking Britain’s manufacturing hotspots based on growth, workforce strength, investment, transport connectivity, property affordability, business support and long-term manufacturer success. The index shows that Manchester tops the rankings with a manufacturing momentum score of 9.1 out of 10.

The city’s position reflects strong manufacturing investment, excellent transport links, a highly skilled engineering workforce, thriving industrial clusters and a proven track record of manufacturers succeeding and expanding over the long term. Manchester was followed closely by Sheffield (9.0), Birmingham and the West Midlands (8.9), and Liverpool (8.8), creating a competitive top tier of manufacturing destinations.

More information www.tinyurl.com/8bcm8kjd