Renishaw, a leading provider of engineering solutions, is commemorating 50 years in business this year. The corporation, which was established on April 4, 1973, will commemorate this important anniversary with a year of international events, such as open houses at its biggest sites, family days for workers, and a “50 at 50” charity initiative, in which £150,000 will be donated to 50 not-for-profit organizations in the 36 countries where it has offices.
The Firm was established to commercialize Sir David McMurtry’s discovery of a touch-trigger probe, which resolved dimensions measuring issue Rolls-Royce experienced when producing the Olympus engines that powered the supersonic Concorde airplane. The probe also addressed issues that many precision manufacturers encountered globally, ultimately enabling the first automated measurement on coordinate measuring machines (CMMs).
On September 21, 1972, Rolls-Royce applied for a patent covering McMurtry’s original design, with him listed as the inventor. He discussed the touch-trigger probe with John Deer, a former colleague who is now the Non-executive Deputy Chairman of Renishaw. Deer recognized the invention’s potential for wider commercial application, and Rolls-Royce agreed to license the patent to them—but only if they had a limited liability company. As a result, they bought an “off-the-shelf” business for convenience, and on April 4, 1973, Renishaw Electrical Ltd., the first Renishaw corporation, was registered.
Renishaw introduced its first commercial probe for machine tools in 1977 after McMurtry and Deer rapidly recognized the possibilities for using probes on computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools. Even though contact and non-contact laser measurement systems for CMMs and machine tools still account for a sizeable portion of Renishaw’s current business, the company also offers a wide array of metrology systems for calibration, position feedback, and gauging, as well as related accessories like style and fixturing. It has also used its core competencies in measurement, manufacturing, and process control to develop robots, medication administration systems for brain surgery, and systems for non-destructive testing utilizing Raman spectroscopy. It is also a technical leader in the field of metal additive manufacturing (3D printing).
Renishaw’s innovations have revolutionized several areas of scientific research and component manufacture over the past 50 years, making it possible to create the high-quality, precise goods we use every day. There is hardly any industry that does not in some way benefit from the Company’s continual advances, including brain surgery and dentistry as well as the production of aircraft, cars, cellphones, electric vehicle batteries, and solar panels.
The Firm is currently valued at about £3 billion and is listed on the FTSE 250 index of the London Stock Exchange. It has 5,200 employees in 36 nations, 3,400 of whom work at its operations in the UK, primarily in South Wales and Gloucestershire.
“This is a year to reflect on the tremendous achievements of our co-founders and employees past and present, who have done so much to advance precision manufacturing globally, and to look forward with confidence to future decades of innovation and growth,” says Will Lee, the chief executive of Renishaw.
The key components of Renishaw’s business strategy, he continues, are “investing heavily in research and development to ensure a continuing stream of world-leading products; a commitment to high-quality in-house manufacturing to ensure we can meet the exacting requirements of our global customers; and a focus on excellent local customer service and support through our wholly owned subsidiary operations.”
“On behalf of Renishaw, I would also like to thank our customers and suppliers, many of whom we have had close relationships with for the majority of our history and with whom we have shared mutual success,” says Lee in his closing statement. “I would also like to thank our other stakeholders, including our local communities who have been highly supportive of our growth and have also shared in our success.”
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