Renishaw, a global engineering technologies company, is marking its 50th anniversary this year. The company, which was founded on April 4, 1973, will commemorate this significant milestone with a year of global activities that will include open house events at its largest sites, employee family days, and a ’50 at 50′ charity initiative in which £150,000 will be donated to 50 non-profit organizations in the 36 countries where it has offices.

The Company was established to commercialize Sir David McMurtry’s invention of a touch-trigger probe, which solved a dimensional measurement issue encountered by Rolls-Royce when manufacturing the Olympus engines that powered the supersonic Concorde aircraft. The probe also solved similar problems encountered by many precision manufacturers around the world, enabling for the first time that measurement on coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) could be automated. Rolls-Royce obtained a patent on McMurtry’s initial design, which was filed on September 21, 1972, and named him as the inventor. He discussed the touch-trigger probe with a colleague, John Deer, now Renishaw’s Non-executive Deputy Chairman, who saw the invention’s broader commercial potential, and Rolls-Royce agreed to licence the patent to them, but only if they formed a limited liability company.

For convenience, they bought a ‘off-the-shelf’ company, and the first Renishaw company, Renishaw Electrical Ltd., was registered on April 4, 1973. McMurtry and Deer recognized the possibility for using probes on computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools early on, and Renishaw introduced its first commercial probe for machine tools in 1977.

Although contact and non-contact laser measurement systems for CMMs and machine tools continue to account for a sizable portion of Renishaw’s business, the company now offers a diverse range of metrology systems for calibration, position feedback, and gauging, as well as associated accessories such as styli and fixturing. It has also used its primary expertise in measurement, manufacturing, and process control to create systems for non-destructive testing using Raman spectroscopy, robots, and drug delivery systems for brain surgery, and is a technology leader in metal additive manufacturing. (3D printing).

Renishaw’s products have revolutionized key aspects of component manufacturing and scientific research over the last 50 years, adding to the ability to create high-performance, precision products that we use every day. There is hardly an industry that does not benefit in some way from the Company’s continuing innovations, from the manufacture of aircraft, cars, smartphones, electric vehicle batteries, and solar panels, to brain surgery and dentistry. The company is now listed on the FTSE 250 index of the London Stock Exchange, with a present valuation of around £3 billion. It employs 5,200 people across 36 countries, including 3,400 in the UK, mainly in Gloucestershire and South Wales.

Will Lee, Renishaw’s Chief Executive says, “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.”

He adds, “The formula that has ensured Renishaw’s success over the past 50 years remains at the heart of our approach to business – investing heavily in research and development to ensure a continuing stream of world-leading products; a commitment to high-quality in-house manufacturing that ensures 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.”

Lee concludes, “On behalf of Renishaw, I would also like to thank our customers and suppliers, many of whom we have had close relationships with for most of our history and with whom we have shared mutual success, and our other stakeholders, including our local communities who have been highly supportive of our growth and have also shared in our success.”