Sheffield Forgemasters has marked the topping out of its vast new machine shop, celebrating the installation of the final steel roof beam at the 30,000 m2 facility. McLaughlin & Harvey welcomed machine shop teams and development partners to the site, where the structural frame is nearing completion.

Attendees signed the last roof beam before Sheffield Forgemasters' longest-serving machinist, Paul Haxton, with almost 50 years’ service, and first-year apprentice, Joe Garrett, tightened a symbolic golden bolt to secure it in place.

Paul Griffen, Managing Director at McLaughlin & Harvey, said: "The completion of the structural steelwork at Sheffield Forgemasters is more than a construction milestone. It reflects the journey we have taken together to reach this point.

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"A journey that would not have been possible without the unwavering commitment, collaboration and professionalism from all involved. We look forward to continuing the journey together as we head towards a successful completion and handover.

"This event marks a significant milestone in the development of our new machine shop and it is fantastic so many people were able to join us to mark the occasion.

"Our new facility enables us to bring together our years of expertise and investment in state-of-the-art machines, to deliver incredible accuracies and dramatically improve our ability to innovate, making Sheffield Forgemasters more competitive on the world stage.

"Seeing long serving employees with almost fifty-years of skills and knowledge alongside the first-year apprentices, who'll take this skill and knowledge into the next generation was great to witness."

The new machine shop is being constructed alongside a 13,000‑tonne forging line, both central to a £1.3 billion recapitalisation programme led by Sheffield Forgemasters’ MOD owners. The site is expected to become operational in less than two years and is scheduled to be fully up and running by the end of 2028.

Project partners include Arup (ecological and travel assessments), Bond Bryan Architects, JLL (representing Sheffield Forgemasters for site acquisition and planning submissions), and delivery support partner Turner & Townsend.