Sheffield Forgemasters’ new 30,000 m2 machine shop passed two milestones over the summer: the final steel roof beam was put in place at a topping out ceremony, and the first of 11 overhead cranes for the building arrived from Spain. The company announced the topping out on 8 July 2026 and the crane’s arrival on 5 August 2026.
The golden bolt
The company’s machine shop teams and the development contractor, McLaughlin & Harvey, gathered on site for the ceremony when the framework was almost complete. Attendees signed the final roof beam. The longest serving machinist, Paul Haxton, with almost 50 years’ service, and first year apprentice Joe Garrett then tightened the golden bolt that holds the last steel beam in place.
Gareth Barker, Chief Operating Officer at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “Our new facility enables us to bring together our years of expertise and investment in state-of-the-art machines, to deliver incredible accuracies and dramatically improve our ability to innovate, making Sheffield Forgemasters more competitive on the world stage.”
The machine shop is being built alongside a new 13,000 tonne forging line. Both underpin a £1.3 billion recapitalisation programme driven by the company’s Ministry of Defence owners, and the machine shop is due to be operational by the end of 2028.
Eleven cranes from Spain
The first crane came from GH Cranes’ manufacturing facility in northern Spain. Each of the 11 overhead cranes spans up to 35 metres: two of 150/40 tonne capacity, four 200/40 tonne service cranes and five 250/50 tonne cranes, with a tandem lifting beam for up to 400 tonnes. GH Cranes beat four other crane makers in the tender to design and supply every overhead crane for the building, which will operate some of the world’s largest vertical turning lathes.
Harry McClean, Project Manager at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “With our New Machine Shop building now being clad, it is incredibly exciting to see the first overhead crane arrive on site, ready for installation.”
In August the company said one crane would arrive each week, with deliveries due to finish by the end of the year. Sheffield-based PLS is installing all the cranes. The project team also includes Arup, Bond Bryan Architects, JLL and delivery support partner Turner & Townsend.
More on Sheffield’s manufacturers is in our companies section, and on the city’s industrial sites in property.