Sheffield Forgemasters Awards £210m Contract for Landmark New Machine Shop

Sheffield Forgemasters has awarded a £210 million construction contract to McLaughlin & Harvey for the delivery of a major new machine shop, representing a key milestone in the company’s long-term recapitalisation programme. The Ministry of Defence–owned manufacturer will develop the facility on a 16-acre brownfield site at Weedon Street, located adjacent to its existing Brightside Lane operations in Sheffield.

The new 30,000m² machine shop will house 24 advanced machining systems, including several of the world’s largest vertical turning lathes. Once complete, the facility will form one of the most advanced defence machining centres in Europe, significantly enhancing the UK’s sovereign manufacturing capability in support of national defence and critical industries.

McLaughlin & Harvey has already completed the enabling works and is progressing through an advanced works phase. This includes extensive piling for the building superstructure, construction of machine base foundations, and the installation of site-wide drainage and storm-water attenuation systems. To date, more than 4,000 piles have been installed, alongside major associated civil engineering works such as pile caps, capping beams, and underground services.

Craig Fisher, Programme Director for Recapitalisation at Sheffield Forgemasters, said the award of the main works contract marked a major step forward for the programme. He highlighted the pace at which McLaughlin & Harvey has delivered the early phases of the project, noting that the completion of advanced works will allow structural steel erection to begin in January 2026.

Due to its scale, the new machine shop will become a prominent landmark on Sheffield’s skyline, clearly visible from the M1 motorway near Meadowhall. The facility will sit alongside another major investment currently underway at the North Brightside Lane site: the construction of the UK’s largest open-die forging line. Together, these projects represent a transformation of Sheffield Forgemasters’ industrial footprint and capabilities.

Paul Griffen, Managing Director at McLaughlin & Harvey, said the company was proud to be delivering a facility of national significance. He emphasised that the project would support UK industry for decades to come, while also providing a boost to the South Yorkshire economy. The contract further strengthens McLaughlin & Harvey’s reputation for delivering complex, large-scale construction projects within the advanced manufacturing and defence sectors.

Beyond its immediate industrial impact, the new machine shop will play a key role in skills development. Alongside the company’s 13,000-tonne forging line, it will help train a new generation of engineers and designers in Industry 4.0 technologies, reinforcing the UK’s long-term defence manufacturing resilience. The wider project team includes Arup, Bond Bryan Architects, and JLL, which supported site acquisition and planning.