Atherstone aerospace manufacturer ANT Industries is marking National Manufacturing Day by celebrating the engineering expertise behind components destined for some of the world’s most advanced aero engines. The annual event, organised by Make UK and taking place on Thursday 24 September, provides an opportunity for manufacturers across Britain to showcase what happens inside their factories and the people whose skills underpin the sector.
For ANT Industries, that story can be found every day on the shop floor at its Atherstone facility, where the company manufactures complex aero-engine components for the global aerospace industry. Managing Director Shaun Rowley believes there is a particular sense of pride attached to knowing where that work will ultimately end up.
“Manufacturing an aero-engine component is something you can be immensely proud of,” said Rowley. “You are working on a component that demands exceptional levels of precision and engineering expertise, and ultimately it forms part of an engine that will take an aircraft into the sky.
“That connection between what our team produces here in Atherstone and the finished engine is something I still find incredibly rewarding.”
ANT Industries has continued to invest in its manufacturing capability as its aerospace order book has grown, bringing new machinery and technology onto the shop floor while developing the skills required to support increasingly complex packages of work. That combination of people and manufacturing capability has helped the business build its position within the aerospace supply chain, particularly around demanding engine components where process control and repeatable quality are fundamental to production.
For Rowley, National Manufacturing Day also provides an opportunity to recognise the people behind that capability.
“There is a tremendous amount of knowledge involved in producing these components,” he continued. “From understanding the drawing and planning how a component will be manufactured through to machining, inspection and all of the processes that sit around production, you are seeing years of experience being applied to every job. I walk through our factory and see components at different stages of manufacture and I know the expertise that has gone into them. That gives me a huge amount of pride in ANT and in the people who work here.”
National Manufacturing Day was established to give communities, schools and prospective engineers a closer view of modern UK industry, with manufacturers across aerospace, defence and other sectors using the day to share the opportunities available within engineering. It is a message that resonates strongly at ANT Industries, where Rowley has regularly encouraged young people to consider aerospace engineering as a career.
For someone entering the industry today, he believes the aero-engine supply chain offers the chance to combine traditional engineering knowledge with increasingly sophisticated manufacturing technology.
“There is something special about making a physical component and being able to say, ‘we made that here’,” added Rowley.
“In aerospace, you can take that a stage further. Our team can look at the aero engines operating around the world and know that the skill and precision of people here in Atherstone has contributed to that industry. National Manufacturing Day is a chance to celebrate exactly that. We are proud to manufacture in Britain, proud to manufacture for aerospace and very proud of the components that leave ANT Industries.”
National Manufacturing Day 2026 is organised by Make UK and takes place on Thursday 24 September.