Manufacturers celebration
Manufacturers celebration
Born in Cambridge, Shearline Precision Engineering is now based in Ely but the reach of its input is not only worldwide but extends to outer space! The company is the power behind a good many thrones and its parts can be found in world-leading inkjet products for Cambridge and other players, innovative medical devices and beauty advancements, F1 motor racing and globally renowned car marques, electric vehicles, electronics, defence, aerospace and nuclear markets. Shearline subsidiary SXL is currently quoting a multi-million-pound package of work for the defence industry – many parts for which will be manufactured from magnesium. One of its ventures is already out of this world. Two freshly engineered Raspberry Pi computers launched for the International Space Station boasted Shearline-made super corrosion resistant cases. Shooting for the stars wasn’t foremost in founder David Littlechild’s thoughts when he borrowed £60 from dad and scraped together some savings to launch the fledgling business from the summerhouse at the bottom of his parents’ garden in Cambridge. Dyslexic and with no qualifications from leaving school, David had learned the trade by working at Cambridge University Engineering Labs. With no prospect of a degree that would have landed a key job at the Department he decided to go it alone. Brother John had introduced him to a glass blowing company called TW Wingents and he started making gas jets for their blow torches on a small lathe in the summerhouse. That work blossomed and in the meantime John and David launched a flash lamp manufacturing business at Cambridge Science Park – Noblelight. David sold his stake and decided to strike out on his own. Shearline steadily picked up
‘£60 startup’ engineers global greatness as it toasts 50th anniversary
An engineering business started for little more than £60 in its founder’s garden shed in 1973 has blossomed into a multimillion-pound concern as world-leading clients steer pioneering technology into major markets globally.
Machinery & Manufacturing 15
Machinery & Manufacturing 14
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