Lord Coe opens William Cook’s new Precision factory

Lord Coe, the double Olympic Gold Medalist and President of the International Association of Athletics Federations, returned to his home town of Sheffield to officially open William Cook Holdings’ new Precision factory.

The family-owned business has invested more than £6m in the facility, which combines the latest 3D printing and investment casting technology to allow the rapid manufacture of complex components of unprecedented size and accuracy. 

William Cook Holdings has built the new factory at its Parkway Avenue site, home to its existing Sheffield manufacturing operations.

The new Precision factory will help the company to win new customers in new markets and safeguards 200 jobs in Sheffield.

Lord Coe said: “It is a great pleasure to come home to Sheffield, the city where I grew up, and support a local manufacturing company. 

“William Cook Holdings has created an impressive set of facilities that will allow it to compete at an international level.

“My father Peter was a Production Director at a well-known cutlery business in Sheffield so this industry was very important to our family.

“It is inspiring to come home today and see this successful family business making world class products in Sheffield.” 

The William Cook group designs and manufactures complex components for blue chip customers in the energy, defence, rail and aerospace sectors.

Sir Andrew Cook said: “This is not only an investment in our family company, but also in our employees, customers, suppliers and the City of Sheffield.

“William Cook has been in Sheffield since the late 19th century and is the only traditional large Sheffield manufacturer with our name still ‘over the shop’.

“This investment has totally renovated and modernised our site at Parkway and we believe it will play an increasingly important role in Sheffield’s - and Britain’s - manufacturing capability.”

The Company has recently recruited a dozen new apprentices - the biggest intake in recent history - to support its growth plans.

They are undergoing training at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre in Rotherham before taking up on-the-job training.

Lord Coe attended the official launch after the Company supported the Sebastian Coe Charitable Foundation.

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