UK NEWS

£10m heavy engineering plant

Subcontract manufacturer, WEC Group, is constructing a state-of-the-art 60,000 sq ft heavy
machining and fabrication facility in Blackburn. The development marks a significant
milestone in the group’s ongoing expansion strategy and is set to become one of the largest
subcontract machining plants in Europe, serving sectors such as nuclear, defence, offshore
and general engineering.


The facility will feature six large CNC machining centres capable of handling components up
to 20 m in length and 5 m in diameter. This will significantly expand WEC Group’s existing
capabilities, which include a trio of large Correa and an Asquith Butler travelling column
milling machines. The new plant is expected to create 60 new jobs, including 10 additional
machining apprentices.
For further information www.wec-group.com

The die is cast

Phase two of a demolition project has started at Sheffield Forgemasters to make way for the
UK’s largest open-die forging line. Unused buildings on the Sheffield Forgemasters site,
north of Brightside Lane, are being removed as the second phase of work gets underway to
create space for a new 13,000 tonne heavy forge and its 12,700 sq m housing. Victorian-era
forge and foundry buildings will make way for the new facility, creating one of the most
efficient open-die forging operations in Europe and the largest in the UK. The demolition will
eventually expose the whole footprint of the new facility, which will dominate the skyline.
For further information www.bit.ly/3Ubjxyq

Barrow funding

A major investment in Barrow-in-Furness can only be good news for supply chain companies and the wider economy. That is the view of award-winning engineering business Forth, which has one of its three Cumbrian bases in the town. The Government’s announcement of a £20m investment in the Barrow Transformation Fund is expected to create more than 8000 career opportunities at BAE Systems, its supply chain and the region’s economy. Forth believes the fund will help it attract engineering talent to the area as well as creating significant opportunities to support new defence projects at BAE Systems.

For further information www.forth.uk.com

Bridging the commercial ‘valley of death’

Manufacturing, business and academia have come together to bridge the UK’s £bn+ commercial ‘valley of death’. PP Plus, which is led by PP Control & Automation, is delivering access to expertise that will help companies develop and scale green technologies. More than 20 organisations are involved, including Brandauer, the Centre for Advanced Low Carbon Propulsion Systems, Cleveland Scott York, Product Approvals, Protolabs, Silverstone Technology Cluster and WMG. Together, they can take innovators from development and prototyping to protecting their IP, contract manufacturing and driving sales through PR.For further information www.pp-plus.org

T.50 supercar production moves location

Premium British vehicle manufacturer Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) is moving its T.50 supercar production to the company’s newly-built £50m headquarters at Highams Park, Surrey. Previously produced at Dunsfold Park, the decision will see T.50 manufacturing benefit from a wealth of efficiencies, enabling the business to streamline carbon-fibre monocoque production for T.33 prototypes and future models at Dunsfold Park. Next, the production team will transfer to building the T.33 coupe, before that supercar’s open-top sibling – the T.33 Spider – enters the Highams Park vehicle production centre.

For further information www.gordonmurrayautomotive.com.