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Latest News from NEC

Nuclear Energy Components shortlisted for Engineering Manufacturer of the Year at Made in the UK Midlands Awards

18 March 2026

Nuclear Energy Components (NEC), the Derbyshire-based specialist precision engineering manufacturer, has been shortlisted for Engineering Manufacturer of the Year at the Made in the UK Midlands Awards, taking place on Thursday 23 April at the Burlington MacDonald Hotel in Birmingham. The shortlist recognises NEC’s long-standing reputation for delivering safety-critical precision engineering to highly regulated industries, alongside its continued investment in advanced manufacturing, innovation and people. The Made in the UK Midlands Awards, organised by Insider Media, celebrate the region’s most successful and innovative manufacturers, recognising businesses that are driving industrial growth, technological advancement and global competitiveness. Matt Keeley, Director at Nuclear Energy Components, said:“We’re incredibly proud to be shortlisted for Engineering Manufacturer of the Year. This recognition reflects the commitment, skill and dedication of our entire team. As an employee-owned business, everyone at NEC takes pride in delivering the precision, innovation and reliability our customers depend on, particularly in safety-critical sectors like nuclear. We remain focused on supporting the UK’s energy security while continuing to invest in advanced manufacturing and the next generation of engineering talent.” Operating from its facility in Bradwell, NEC is an employee-owned, nuclear-approved contract manufacturer with more than eight decades of engineering heritage. The business supports sectors including nuclear, defence, aerospace, oil and gas, rail, automotive, medical devices and power generation, supplying high-integrity components and assemblies designed to perform reliably in demanding environments. The company has been closely involved in the UK civil nuclear sector since the early 1950s and has supported programmes across virtually every nuclear site in the UK, helping deliver components that underpin safe and reliable energy generation. Today, NEC continues to play a key role in strengthening the UK’s nuclear supply chain while supporting the nation’s energy security and low-carbon ambitions. Innovation is also a key part of NEC’s strategy. The company recently developed the Modular HeliGrid, a patented engineering solution designed to transform the manufacture of complex components traditionally produced from single large plates. By rethinking the manufacturing approach, NEC has significantly reduced lead times, lowered production risk and created a more flexible, repairable system that improves long-term component performance. Alongside product innovation, NEC continues to invest in advanced manufacturing technology and automation, improving productivity while maintaining the high levels of quality and traceability required for nuclear-grade components. The business also maintains strong, long-term relationships with major customers across the nuclear sector, delivering dedicated manufacturing solutions that provide supply chain resilience, consistent quality and dependable on-time delivery.

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Nuclear Energy Components shortlisted for Manufacturer of the Year at Made in Sheffield Awards 2026

16 March 2026

Nuclear Energy Components (NEC), the Derbyshire-based precision engineering specialist serving the UK’s most safety-critical industries, has been shortlisted for Manufacturer of the Year (under £25m) at the Made in Sheffield Awards 2026. Organised by Insider Media, the Made in Sheffield Awards celebrate excellence across the region’s manufacturing sector, recognising companies that demonstrate outstanding performance, innovation and contribution to regional industry. NEC’s shortlisting acknowledges the company’s continued investment, technical leadership and role supporting nationally strategic sectors including nuclear and defence. With heritage dating back to 1939 and building on the legacy of Newburgh Engineering, NEC has developed a reputation for delivering high-integrity precision components and complex assemblies where reliability is paramount. Operating from its advanced manufacturing facility in Derbyshire, the business is ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 accredited and holds both Fit For Nuclear (F4N) and Joscar status. The company provides advanced capabilities including 9-axis mill-turn machining, large-scale milling and turning, coded welding, fabrication, water jet cutting and full CMM inspection supported by nuclear-grade documentation. NEC serves customers across nuclear, defence, aerospace, oil and gas, rail, medical and power generation markets, with long-term agreements that often extend beyond a decade. During the awards’ qualifying period, NEC delivered strong financial performance with increasing turnover. The business also invested £280,000 in advanced CNC machining and robotic automation, enabling lights-out manufacturing, improved productivity and enhanced energy efficiency. A key driver behind NEC’s recognition is the development of its patented Modular HeliGrid (MHG), an innovative solution for the defence sector. Unlike traditional monolithic HeliGrids, NEC’s modular design reduces lead times from years to weeks, lowers material costs, minimises manufacturing risk and enables easier transportation and repair. The technology holds international patent protection. Alongside investment in innovation and automation, NEC has implemented structured succession planning and skills development initiatives, including apprenticeship recruitment and knowledge transfer programmes to safeguard specialist expertise within the business. Matt Keeley, Director of Nuclear Energy Components, said: “Being shortlisted for the Made in Sheffield Awards is a fantastic recognition of the work our team delivers every day. As an employee-owned business, our people are at the heart of everything we do, and this nomination reflects their skill, dedication and commitment to engineering excellence. We are proud to support the UK’s nuclear and defence sectors from our base in Derbyshire, and to contribute to the strength of the region’s manufacturing community. Continued investment in automation, innovation and skills development ensures we remain a reliable long-term partner to customers operating in the most demanding environments.” NEC continues to build on more than 60 years of experience supporting the UK civil nuclear sector and remains closely engaged with next-generation nuclear technologies including SMRs, PWRs. With a clear ambition to grow to £5m turnover, the company’s strategy balances dependable long-term contracts with innovation-led diversification. The winners of the Made in Sheffield Awards 2026 will be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday 7th May at The Cutlers’ Hall in Sheffield.

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Forthcoming events 2026

17 February 2026

Nuclear Energy Components team regular attend and exhibit at various leading industry events across the UK, some of the forthcoming events we will be at include:

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Derbyshire village uses watermill to power Christmas lights in the Peak District

20 December 2024

A Derbyshire village has found a novel – and greener – way to light up the streets over Christmas-time.​ The village watermill is being used to power the Christmas lights in Bradwell in the Derbyshire Peak District. The hydro project, first installed six years ago, was initially powered by a Heath Robinson-style collection of parts from villagers’ sheds including a pair of bicycle wheels. “This is the second incarnation of our waterwheel,” explains Andy Nash, one of three volunteers who look after the wheel in the Bradwell Brook each December. “It was initially built as an education aid for our local school children. The first one produced about 30 watts of power and we couldn’t run it for very long. “This latest wheel – designed by apprentice engineers from Nuclear Energy Components Ltd – a company based just down the road – chucks out between 70 and 80 watts and now powers our village lights from 3pm until midnight,” says Andy. Photography: Rod Kirkpatrick of RKP Photography Article: Derbyshire Times

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NEC shortlisted for Make UK regional awards!

4 September 2024

NEC has been shortlisted in the SME of the Year category at the Make UK Manufacturing Awards for the North East, Yorkshire and Humber to be held on Thursday 17th October 2024 at the Rameside Hotel in Co. Durham. The award has been developed to champion businesses with less than 250 employees who have blazed a trail within the manufacturing sector. They will have led by example and developed progressive best practice for others in the industry. They will have shown exceptional initiative, boldness and dynamism, as well as exemplary management practices. NEC who became Employee Ownership Trust in 2022 have grown turnover and profitability as well as expanded the team by 21% in the last 2 years whilst establishing a succession plan with the next generation of leaders in the business. In 2023 they invested £280k in a vertical machining centre and a lathe with a new robot that will provide automatic loading and unloading of components. The company has a long track record in the nuclear sector consistently achieve 100% compliance on both quality and delivery and Fit4Nuclear, ISO9001, ISO14001 systems and procedures are integral in the business. They gained JOSCAR accreditation in February this year to enable further growth in the Aerospace and Defence sectors. Matt Keeley, Director, said “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for this regional award as recognition of our investment in advanced manufacturing technology, accreditations and skills. These will enable us to continue our growth, increase our ability to serve the Aerospace and Defence sectors and develop our future workforce with the investment in our apprenticeship scheme.”

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NEC opens its doors for national manufacturing day

23 July 2024

Nuclear Energy Components (NEC) will open up to its local community as part of Make UK’s National Manufacturing Day celebrations on 26 September 2024 See first-hand the potential careers and jobs on offer with a ‘through the keyhole’ tour of the business NEC in Bradwell in the Hope Valley will open up to schools, colleges and the local community on National Manufacturing Day to showcase first-hand the amazing careers that are available in Britain’s manufacturing sector. During the day the company will put on a series of tours and interactive activities, designed to demonstrate what manufacturing is really about. The activities will be hands on and staff teams will be on hand to speak about what inspired them to take up a career in the sector and the opportunities that they have had to progress and train further. The day is open to all age groups, from school leavers to more experienced workers looking at reskilling and it will also give companies the chance to let their whole community understand more about the businesses on their doorstep. NEC has been part of the Hope Valley community, manufacturing components and assemblies for the Nuclear, Oil & Gas, Aerospace, Automotive, Rail and Power generation sectors for 85 years. The tours arranged so far include: 9.30am Bradwell Infant School 10.30am Bradwell Junior School 4.00pm Bradwell Residents Open Day Matthew Keeley, Director said: “We are delighted to be taking part in National Manufacturing Day and have the chance to showcase our manufacturing processes, capabilities and people. National Manufacturing Day gives us an opportunity to speak directly with students, teachers and our local community when they visit our manufacturing facilities. “The NEC team will great you on arrival, you will have a tour of the facility being able to see our Production areas including machining, fabrication, fitting, quality and inspection. You will be able to see our Advanced Machining Centre where we invested £280,000 in 2023 in new machining technology which enables us to provide automatic loading and unloading of components.” “There will be food and drink available in our office and canteen following the tour. There will be plenty of opportunity to talk to staff about their roles in the business and experience working for NEC, formerly Newburgh Engineering.” “We can’t wait to meet our potential new employees and talk to the people who live on our doorstep about the work we do for our customers and what we have to offer in a career that is both exciting and rewarding.” To make it easy to see what’s going on across the local area, Make UK has created a dedicated microsite www.nationalmanufacturingday.org where companies taking part will post what they produce and detail the events they are planning for National Manufacturing Day itself. Manufacturing covers a wide range of sectors including aerospace, engineering, chemical and pharmaceutical, food and drink, defence, automotive and renewable technologies. So there will definitely be something around on the day to interest everyone. Stephen Phipson, CEO of Make UK, the

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Management changes secure future at NEC

25 June 2024

2024 sees a changing of the guard at Nuclear Energy Components (NEC) based at Bradwell in the Hope Valley. The company has long-term contracts supplying the nuclear industry and in 2023 the company invested £280k in a new vertical machining centre and a lathe along with a new robot that will provide automatic loading and unloading of components. Chairman, Vince Middleton will be retiring as a Director in December after 40 years with the business and Sales Director, David Greenan will be retiring at the end of September after 50 years having started as an apprentice in August 1974. Matt Keeley is taking over from David as Sales Director, Matt joined the business in September 2018 as an engineering apprentice completing his Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing and engineering in February 2022 as he became the employee representative on the Board of Directors, which was when the business became an Employee Ownership Trust. Quality Manager, Adam Hadfield was appointed as employee representative on the Board of Directors in March this year. Adam started with NEC in August 2017 as a degree apprentice doing Mechanical Manufacturing with the University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre based in Rotherham. Phil Longden continues as Operations Director and celebrates 40 years with the business this year, he is another member of the team that started with the business as an apprentice in July 1984. He spent a number of years in Quality Assurance before becoming General Manager in November 2018 and being appointed a Director in July 2019 following completion of an Executive MBA in Advanced Manufacturing with The University of Sheffield. As the company prepares for this next chapter, NEC is now recruiting a General Manager (preferably from a manufacturing background) to oversee the entire manufacturing operation, ensuring that the plant runs efficiently, meets production goals, and maintains its exemplary standards of quality and on time delivery. This includes managing staff, ensuring production targets are met, controlling budgets and maintaining high-quality and safety standards. The role requires strategic planning, efficient resource management, and the ability to lead and inspire the team to achieve company objectives. The company is also continuing its investment in future skills with Charlie Hillier having just completed his year 1 apprenticeship and 2 apprentices starting full-time at AMRC Training Centre from September, including Jack Ottewell, who joined the business in August 2023, aged 16.

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