Sheffield Forgemasters has awarded a £210 million contract to McLaughlin & Harvey for the construction of a major new machine shop, marking a significant milestone in the company’s recapitalisation programme. The Ministry of Defence-owned manufacturer will build the facility on a 16-acre brownfield site at Weedon Street, adjacent to its Brightside Lane operations.
The 30,000m
2 building will house 24 advanced machines, including some of the world’s largest vertical turning lathes.
McLaughlin & Harvey has already completed enabling works and is progressing with advanced works, which include piling for the building superstructure, machine base foundations, and installation of site-wide drainage and storm-water attenuation tanks.
Craig Fisher, programme director (Recapitalisation) at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “The new machine shop main works contract is a major element within our recapitalisation programme and will create one of Europe’s most advanced defence machining facilities. McLaughlin & Harvey undertook the pre-construction works for the site and has delivered those elements at pace. Through the advanced works contract, they have installed more than 4,000 piles and undertaken associated civils works, including capping beams, pile caps and site-wide drainage and services, meaning that erection of structural steelwork can commence in January 2026.”
Prominent landmark for SheffieldThe scale of the building will make it a prominent landmark for Sheffield, visible from the M1 near Meadowhall. It will complement the construction of the UK’s largest open-die forging line, which is also underway at the company’s North Brightside Lane site.
Paul Griffen, managing director at McLaughlin & Harvey, said: “We look forward to working collaboratively with Sheffield Forgemasters to deliver a facility of such national significance, which will not only help support UK industries for generations to come but also support the local economy in South Yorkshire. This contract award showcases our talented workforce’s ability to manage large-scale, complex construction projects. It strengthens our growing reputation as a construction partner of choice for clients in the advanced manufacturing and defence sectors.”
The new machine shop, alongside Sheffield Forgemasters’ 13,000-tonne forging line, will help create a new generation of engineers and designers trained to work with Industry 4.0 technologies, supporting the UK’s defence manufacturing capability. The project team includes Arup, responsible for ecological and travel assessments; Bond Bryan Architects; and JLL, which acted on behalf of Sheffield Forgemasters for site acquisition and planning submissions.