BFA winner continues to invest in plant and people

Renishaw – whose Woodchester, Gloucestershire facility picked up the Best Electronics & Electrical Plant Award at the 2012 Best Factory Awards – said staff numbers had increased to support demand for production resource, and investment in research and development had grown. Group headcount at the end of December 2012 was 3,065, an increase of 161 since the start of the year. Capital expenditure on property, plant and equipment for the six months to December was £12.1m, of which £3.2m was spent on property and £8.9m on plant, equipment and vehicles. The construction of new premises in York has been completed and the expansion of its facilities in Ireland was expected to be completed by the end of the current financial year. At Miskin in Wales, facility development including the refurbishment of an additional 66,000 sq ft and the purchase of new machine tools are expected to be completed and in operation before the end of the year. Renishaw was reporting increased revenues for the six months ended 31 December 2012, up 18% on the corresponding period last year, helped by a more than doubling of sales to the Far East, specifically China. Pre-tax profit, at £46.2m, was also up on the same six months a year ago. The metrology business saw sales up 20% and a 30% profit hike driven primarily by Renishaw's machine tool product line while the much smaller healthcare operation saw losses cut from £6m to £4m helped by additional orders received for robotics used in neurosurgery.