THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

NCMT names new marketing head

With effect from May 2025, Maja Foster will become head of marketing at CNC machine tool supplier NCMT. She brings relevant experience to her new role having formerly headed the marketing function in the UK subsidiary of a global machine tool manufacturer, where she was responsible for publicising the brand across Europe.

“I’m looking forward to strengthening NCMT’s position in the marketplace and championing its capabilities,” she says. “The company is built around satisfying customer demand, which means responsive engineering support, training and lifetime back-up form a core part of the service it delivers. My role is to ensure that all of these strengths are clearly communicated in the context of the machine tool brands we represent.”More information www.ncmt.co.uk

New Artillery Factory in Sheffield

A 94,000 sq ft artillery facility was officially opened by Secretary of State for Defence John Healey earlier this month. The site, which will become operational by the end of the year, will house a state-of-the-art factory specialising in artillery expertise that will make Sheffield the home of UK howitzer production. The facility will also create 200 new high skilled jobs and support more than 60 businesses across the UK supply chain.

“This new factory is a big boost for South Yorkshire and a significant step forward in strengthening our British defence industrial base,” said Healey. “This is a vote of confidence in our world-leading defence sector and skilled British jobs.” The facility will later evolve to develop and produce a range of different combat systems.

More information www.baesystems.com

£2.5bn for prototype fusion plant

The Government has announced a record £2.5bn investment in fusion energy, which includes support for a new prototype fusion energy plant in Nottinghamshire. The prototype plant, known as STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production), will be built at the site of the former West Burton A coal power station near Retford and Gainsborough. The project’s delivery is expected to create over 10,000 jobs.

A groundbreaking and world-first scientific endeavour, STEP works by combining hydrogen gases, deuterium and tritium, which are heated to over 150 million degrees Celsius and confined within a powerful magnetic field. The energy produced can be used to create steam and turn a turbine, ultimately generating electricity.

More information https://step.ukaea.uk/

Flow expands into fabrication solutions

Flow International Corp, a global developer and manufacturer of high-pressure waterjet cutting systems, is expanding its manufacturing solutions with the launch of Flow Fabrication – a new division dedicated to providing complete metal fabrication solutions. Of particular note, the expansion brings laser cutting and press brakes into Flow’s portfolio. The new product line-up will be officially unveiled at the Fabtech exhibition in Chicago this September, where attendees can see live demonstrations and learn how Flow’s expanded technology portfolio can enhance their manufacturing processes.

More information www.flowwaterjet.com

Recognition for MES specialist

Critical Manufacturing, a specialist in advanced Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and a subsidiary of ASMPT, has been recognised as a Representative Vendor in the May 2025 Gartner Market Guide for MES report. Gartner states this recognition is based on “inquiry volumes, market presence and the ability to cover the core MES use cases and features”.

Francisco Almada Lobo, Critical Manufacturing CEO, says: “In recent years we have been recognized three times as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant™ for MES report and we are now equally proud that this research and advisory firm has listed us as a Representative Vendor in its May 2025 Market Guide for MES.”
More information www.criticalmanufacturing.com