Siemens invests £27 million in new Materials Solutions facility
March 19, 2018
Materials Solutions’ new facility will open in September 2018 (Courtesy Siemens)
Siemens is to make a £27 million investment in a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for its UK-based Additive Manufacturing business. Materials Solutions Ltd, located in Worcester, UK, will open the new site in September 2018, enabling it to increase its number of AM machines from fifteen to fifty over the next five years. The expansion of the business is also expected to support the creation of around fifty-five new jobs, increasing Materials Solutions’ team to eighty.
The new factory will be fully powered by Siemens Digital Enterprise technologies solutions, said to be an end-to-end portfolio comprising software-based systems and automation components. Siemens states that this will cover every conceivable requirement arising along the industrial value chain, thereby harnessing the potential of digitalisation. The new facility will also be a focal point for collaboration between Materials Solutions and the already sizeable UK Siemens Digital Factory division.
“This significant investment underlines our belief that there is huge potential for innovation and growth within the Additive Manufacturing sector. It is also the next step towards achieving our ambition of pioneering the industrialisation of 3D printing,” stated Juergen Maier, Siemens UK CEO.
Materials Solutions also offers comprehensive services for engineering and printing up to the complete manufacturing of parts for the aviation industry, the automotive industry, power generation and motorsports. The new facility will be a global centre of excellence for the business and act as the launch pad for its global growth plans.
Phil Hatherley, General Manager of Materials Solutions, added, “We were incredibly proud to have achieved a world first last year – the production of a successfully tested 3D printed gas turbine blade – and I believe our new factory will facilitate similar achievements for our customers operating in other highly demanding environments, allowing us to maintain our position at the leading edge of this incredibly exciting industry.”
