Renishaw celebrates 15 years at Miskin and completion of first-phase development

This year, Renishaw is celebrating the 15th anniversary of the purchase of its Miskin site in South Wales, and the completion of the first phase of a further £70 million development of the facility. Announced in 2022, this is the largest capital investment project in the company’s history, which will ultimately double the size of the Miskin site, giving the company space to expand manufacturing capacity to meet rising demand for its world-leading precision metrology, additive manufacturing and position measurement products.

Renishaw has been committed to the manufacturing of its own products since its formation and uses many of these products within its machining facilities. Whilst much of its production is performed in the UK, at its Miskin, Stonehouse and Woodchester sites, it has carried out the assembly of metrology products in Ireland since 1981, and also has a significant operation in Pune, India.

Renishaw completed the acquisition of the 193-acre site, situated to the west of Cardiff, from Bosch in September 2011. It started modest operations in May 2012 with a single production shift, having refurbished around 15% of the 416,000 sq ft (38,675 sqm) total building space, which primarily consisted of two large production halls. By the time of the formal opening of the facility in October 2012 by then-First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones (now Lord Jones), employee numbers were around 25, compared with around 950 today.

Following the completion of the first development phase (Hall 3), usable space has grown to 57,350 sq m and will total 81,765 sq m once Hall 4 is completed and operational, establishing the Miskin facility as one of the UK’s largest advanced manufacturing sites.

The success of the Miskin facility justifies the confidence expressed by Lord Jones at the time of the opening, who commented: “Today is a significant event in the history, not just of this site, but for the whole of South Wales.”

Renishaw has continued to invest throughout its tenure, with around £200 million spent to date on acquiring the site, refurbishing legacy buildings, developing the new halls, and installing advanced manufacturing equipment. The latter currently includes 134 CNC machine tools producing around one million parts per month, three PCB assembly lines, robotic assembly and automated warehousing, with more equipment on order to support customer requirements.

Manufacturing capacity to support future growth
The latest phase of development demonstrates Renishaw’s long-term confidence in the UK and its commitment to creating highly skilled jobs and supporting economic growth for years to come.

Hall 3 is used to manufacture Renishaw’s metal additive manufacturing (AM) systems, AGILITY® co-ordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and a multi-million pound automated storage and retrieval warehousing system. The company is currently experiencing strong demand for its AM systems, notably from the aerospace and defence (A&D) sector, and is also seeing growing demand for its high precision multi-sensor CMMs used to inspect complex components, including applications in the energy and A&D sectors.

Hall 4 was constructed as a shell building, with its future utilisation dependent on sales demand and capacity requirements. Due to exceptional demand for Renishaw’s position encoders from manufacturers of semiconductor equipment, driven by the growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), some of that additional capacity is now required and Hall 4 will be partially occupied over the coming months. To support customers in this important sector, the company is also increasing its capital expenditure on equipment, especially new machine tools, electronics production and automated assembly.

Steve Oakes, Director of Position Measurement, remarks: “Our encoders are used at all stages of the semiconductor production process, from manufacturing silicon wafers to packaging and testing individual devices. The semiconductor sector is highly cyclical, and we are currently seeing a ‘super cycle’, which is driving very high levels of investment across the entire supply chain.”

A focus on sustainability
Beyond increasing manufacturing capacity, the development of the new halls has been designed to deliver long-term operational and environmental benefits, supporting Renishaw’s wider commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across Scopes 1 and 2 by 2028. The company’s long-term ambition is for all buildings at the Miskin site to operate at Net Zero, and both new halls have been designed to achieve net-zero carbon in operation.

The high-performance buildings require significantly less energy than conventional industrial facilities, reducing operating costs and carbon emissions from the outset. Enhanced insulation in the walls, roofs and floors delivers thermal performance well beyond current building regulation requirements, while high-performance glazing minimises heat loss and reduces the energy required to maintain comfortable indoor conditions throughout the year.

Heating and cooling are provided by efficient electric heat pump systems, which generate multiple units of heating or cooling energy for every unit of electricity consumed. The system delivers approximately four units of heat and six units of cooling per unit of electricity, making it substantially more energy efficient and lower in carbon emissions than conventional gas-fired systems.

A key feature of the Miskin expansion is its extensive use of on-site renewable energy generation, delivering an estimated 200 MWh of clean electricity each year. Where additional electricity is required, renewable energy tariffs are used to further reduce the site’s carbon footprint.

People, skills and employee wellbeing
Alongside the manufacturing expansion, Renishaw has also invested in a new employee wellbeing centre (photo above), which includes a spacious restaurant, fitness suite and a range of breakout areas with flexible seating, providing spaces for collaboration, informal meetings and quiet relaxation.

The wider development has also enhanced the site’s outdoor environment, with a strong focus on health, wellbeing and biodiversity. Working alongside landscape architects, Renishaw has created a range of landscaped external spaces, including a large central garden featuring outdoor dining areas, lawns and ornamental planting connected directly to the wellbeing centre. Additional breakout and picnic areas have been incorporated throughout the site, including spaces overlooking a large wetland basin and a 2 km perimeter walking route designed to encourage outdoor activity and wellbeing.

Renishaw is highly respected for its long-standing early careers programmes and its commitment to developing future generations of engineering talent. Its science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education outreach programme in the South West of England and South Wales supports both primary and secondary schools, and the Miskin site includes a dedicated education centre that supports the curriculum for STEM subjects.

The Miskin expansion has provided valuable opportunities to develop the skills of Renishaw’s apprentices and graduate engineers who have played an active role throughout the project. They have gained first-hand experience of delivering a major industrial development, and project engineering apprentices were embedded within the design teams responsible for the new development, contributing to layout planning, coordinating with multiple business functions, attending regular site visits and supporting the design of office and workshop facilities.

Commitment to the future
The expansion of the Miskin site represents a major long-term investment in UK manufacturing, sustainability and skills development. It reinforces Renishaw’s commitment to South Wales and the UK while providing a modern, low-carbon manufacturing environment that showcases the best of British engineering. As the site continues to evolve, the new facilities will play a vital role in supporting innovation, reducing carbon emissions and creating high-quality employment opportunities for years to come.

Jim Long, Director of Group Manufacturing, states: “The strong growth we’re currently seeing has highlighted the importance of in-house manufacturing and the control it gives us in meeting our quality, cost and delivery targets. This commitment to manufacturing is exemplified by the investment that we have made in Miskin over the past 15 years and I would like to thank the many people from across our business who have supported the development of this world-class facility.”

He continues: “A key aim of our facilities is to create an attractive and enjoyable working environment that inspires employees while creating a world-class environment that impresses visitors and presents a positive image of manufacturing.

“The significant ongoing investment by our Board to increase our production capabilities demonstrates a huge vote of confidence in our manufacturing operations and people, at an exciting time for the business.”