Kennametal is latest recruit to Manufacturing Technology Centre
GLOBAL industrial technology group, Kennametal, has become the latest business to set up an operation at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry.
The company, a specialist in innovative wear-resistant products, application engineering, and service backed by material science, manufactures specialist metallurgical powders and compounds as well as products made from tungsten carbide or other hard materials. The products are used for custom-engineered applications across a range of industries.
Headquartered in North America, the group has operations around the world, with UK bases in Kingswinford and Newport in Gwent.
MTC chief executive Dr Clive Hickman said he was pleased that a company with the worldwide reputation of Kennametal had joined the MTC’s elite community.
“Kennametal has been an industry leader for more than 75 years and is well recognised for its capabilities in providing custom-engineered solutions for its customers across the aerospace, energy, earthworks, transportation and industrial sectors worldwide and we look forward to working with Kennametal’s engineering expertise here at the MTC,” he said.
Colin Tilzey, director of Kennametal’s innovation ventures group, said Kennametal aimed to achieve more than 40% of sales each year from new products and so partnerships with organisations such as the MTC were very important to its development arm.
“Partnerships such as this help promote innovative process development and leadership. In addition, developing the workforce of tomorrow is a priority for Kennametal and our partnership with the MTC enables us to further influence opportunities to fill the skills gap, he said.
The MTC opened in 2011 and was founded by the University of Birmingham, Loughborough University, the University of Nottingham and TWI Ltd. The MTC’s industrial members include some of the UK’s major global manufacturers.
