Best Electronics Plant In UK

UK’s Best Electronics & Electrical PlantThe honour was achieved against strong competition from global brands, with the Renishaw operation being awarded the title ahead of Sony UK Technology Centre and Siemens MR Magnet Technology.

The judges, which were led by Cranfield University’s Institute of Management, noted Renishaw’s “unerring commitment to in-house manufacture” which it considers essential to ensure quality, delivery and to support product development timescales. The award citation said, “Ultimately, the combination of astute supply chain management, strategic operations planning and class-leading automated technology make this stand-out OEM a worthy winner of the Best Electronics & Electrical Plant prize.”

Renishaw was also recognised for its global leadership in the field of industrial measurement: “Some manufacturers are simply synonymous with their technology area – when it comes to metrology, they don’t come any bigger or better than Renishaw.”

The Woodchester facility carries out the design, development and assembly of components for a wide range of metrology products, including laser calibration devices, probe heads for co-ordinate measuring machines, laser tool setters for machine tools and optical encoders for precision position feedback.

At 15 000m2, and with 348 employees working in manufacturing roles at the site, Renishaw’s Woodchester assembly plant is the largest of four assembly facilities within the Renishaw Group, and it operates within an environment of high innovation, constant change and a huge range of saleable parts which are produced in low volumes. The facility includes a full electronics production capability including printed circuit board (PCB) layout, assembly and test.

Gareth Hankins, Director of Renishaw’s Group Manufacturing Services Division, who together with Woodchester Site Manager, Gui Festa, collected the award, said, “A tremendous amount of work has gone in to making Renishaw’s manufacturing site at Woodchester the world class facility that it is today. It is a testament to the quality and motivation of our employees at Woodchester that we have won this award and all of us are very proud to be recognised in this way.”

Dr Marek Szwejczewski, Director of the Best Factory Awards at Cranfield University commented: "Contrary to what some would have you believe, we still manufacture goods in this country; the UK is one of the top 10 manufacturers in the world and the sector is responsible for 46% of UK exports and around 2.5 million jobs.”