Manufacturing News – Early January 2026
Estimated reading time 2 minutes
US power systems group Cummins is to invest around £39m in its Daventry manufacturing plant, reinforcing the UK’s role in supplying backup power for critical infrastructure worldwide.
The investment forms part of a wider previously announced $200m (£156m) global programme and was unveiled at the UK Government’s Regional Investment Summit. Cummins said the funding underlines its long-term commitment to UK manufacturing.
The 435,000 sq. ft Daventry site on Royal Oak Way South designs, manufactures and distributes large-bore engines ranging from 38 to 95 litres. These are used in sectors including data centres, healthcare, oil and gas, rail and marine.
Sourced from TheBusinessDesk
An energy-focused manufacturer with its headquarters in the South West has been acquired in a $480m (£356m) deal.
Severn Group said the deal with Valmet, a Finland-listed global industrial group, marked a new chapter for the business, which has been backed by Bluewater for the past six years.
Gloucester-headquartered Severn Group is one of Britain’s longest-established valve manufacturers and the holding corporation for Severn Glocon, ValvTechnologies and LB Bentley.
Sourced from TheBusinessDesk
Lincolnshire crop sprayer manufacturer Chafer Machinery is set to return to production under new ownership, with manufacturing expected to restart early next month.
Farmers Weekly reports that Chafer and its sister company Horstine entered administration in October last year, after which the business and assets were put up for sale. The company has since been acquired by agricultural engineer Peter Chantry, digital technology engineer Rick Scott and sales and marketing specialist James Bilson.
Sourced from TheBusinessDesk
Britain’s manufacturers believe the introduction of an Industrial Strategy and individual sector plans will have the biggest impact on their growth prospects in 2026, with a majority of companies believing the opportunities for their business to succeed outweigh the risks this year according to a major survey published today.
The findings come from the annual Make UK 2026 Senior Executive survey, in association with PwC UK, which looks at the opportunities, risks and challenges for manufacturers in the year ahead, as well as the outlook for the UK and international economies.
Key takeaways
- Majority of manufacturers believe opportunities will outweigh risks in 2025
- Industrial Strategy to have biggest impact on manufacturing growth
- But almost nine in ten companies expect their employment costs to increase
- And warning signals for UK as a place to manufacture and invest
- New products, markets and digital technologies focus of new investment
Sourced from The Manufacturer
