A South Yorkshire engineering firm is set to boost its production with a new installation.
Sheffield Forgemasters has appointed Swiss specialist Presstrade Technologies GmbH to install the UK’s largest open-die forging press at its Brightside Lane site.
The 13,000-tonne press and 450mt manipulator, built by Mitsubishi Nagasaki Machinery, will be housed in a new Forge Building.
Presstrade will manage engineering, logistics and installation, including a tool-change manipulator to automate operations.
The press is part of Sheffield Forgemasters’ £1.3 billion recapitalisation programme supporting UK and Allied defence manufacturing, alongside a new 30,000m² machining hall.
Craig Fisher, programmes director at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “There are very few forge engineering specialists with the experience to install a press of this size, so we are delighted that Presstrade has secured the contract to build our new Heavy Forging Press.
“The project will require Presstrade to move more than 8,500 tonnes of components from a secure storage facility and manage the whole assembly of the press, prior to it being commissioned by MNM.”
Peter Bierhalter, owner and managing director of Presstrade, added: “Sheffield Forgemasters is installing a highly capable 13,000 tonne forging press, which is a complex construction.
“Presstrade has more than 30 years of experience in the installation of similar forging equipment and we look forward to delivering on this key project.”
Installation is due to start in July 2027 and is expected to take 12 months.
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