Siemens (www.siemens.com) is to invest £27 million in a new ‘state of the art’ manufacturing facility for Worcester-based Materials Solutions Ltd — its additive-manufacturing (3-D printing) specialist — creating more than 50 jobs.

Moreover, the new AM factory — set to open in September — will be “fully powered” by Siemens Digital Enterprise solutions; it will also allow the company to increase its ‘fleet’ of 3-D printing machines from 15 to 50 over the next five years.

The facility, on the Worcester Six Business Park Development, represents a major investment by Siemens in this rapidly advancing technology. It will also take Materials Solutions’ team of engineers, metallurgists and manufacturing specialists to 80 — and it will be a global centre of excellence within AM.

Siemens acquired an 85% stake in Materials Solutions Ltd in 2016. The latter is a pioneer in the use of Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology for the manufacture of high-performance metal parts and has grown its business considerably over the last two years.

Juergen Maier, CEO of Siemens UK, said: “This significant investment underlines our belief that there is huge potential for innovation and growth in the Additive Manufacturing sector.

“It is also the next step towards achieving our ambition of pioneering the industrialisation of 3-D printing, and it demonstrates how we are leading the way for the fourth industrial revolution.

“If the UK’s manufacturing sector is to grow and thrive, we must embrace digital technologies and build new industries based on them.

“Our vision and ambition for Materials Solutions perfectly represents how we are putting this strategy into practice.”

Phil Hatherley, general manager of Materials Solutions, said: “We were incredibly proud to have achieved a world first last year — the production of a successfully tested 3-D printed gas-turbine blade — and I believe our new factory will facilitate similar achievements for our customers operating in other highly demanding environments.”

Business Secretary Greg Clark said: “Britain has a proud manufacturing heritage; through our Industrial Strategy, the Government has set out a vision and plan that will build on this strength and create an environment that enables manufacturers to continue to thrive.

“The investment being made by Siemens in UK advanced manufacturing demonstrates the confidence businesses have in the strategy.

“Innovation is at the heart of the future of UK manufacturing, and this factory will produce a game-changing technology that has the potential to transform the UK’s industrial base, demonstrating industry backing of the approach set out in Made Smarter and making the sector even more productive and competitive in global
markets.”