A number of dedicated employees from the Spear & Jackson Group ran the Sheffield Half Marathon on Sunday 7th April 2024 in aid of Campaign Against Living Miserably. With a city centre start and finish, a huge crowd of enthusiastic supporters cheered on this year’s participants out of the city and back for the annual race.
Team S&J saw employees from across the group take on the half marathon, with runners from Bowers Group, Spear & Jackson and Robert Sorby joining in. Robert Sorby’s Chris D’Roza completed the race in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 45 seconds, while Spear & Jackson’s Anna Dixon crossed the finish line in an amazing 1 hour, 49 minutes, and 4 seconds. Finally, Bowers Group’s Mike Turner achieved a remarkable time of 1 hour, 36 minutes and 59 seconds.
The Group raised money for Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), which is a leading a movement against suicide. Every week 125 people in the UK take their own lives. And 75% of all UK suicides are male. CALM exists to change this by offering life saving services, provoking conversation and bringing people together to reject living miserably.
As part of Spear and Jackson France’s ongoing commitment to sustainable development and environmental preservation, the business has installed 4 beehives on their corporate site. This new initiative hopes to contribute to the protection of bees which are essential to our ecosystem, as well as promote biodiversity and pollination.
Spear and Jackson France hope to provide a genuine CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) action that is concrete and rapidly measurable, motivate and unite each employee around a meaningful common project, and also support beekeepers with this exciting new addition!
Bowers Group has welcomed a distinguished group of valued distributors from around the world to its latest metrology convention ‘MetCon 2024’. Held at the Bowers Group’s manufacturing facility in Bradford from 13th – 15th May, visitors enjoyed an exclusive unveiling of its exciting new products, including full demonstrations, detailed product knowledge, and a factory tour.
Managing Director at Bowers Group, Martin Hawkins, commended the occasion, saying: “MetCon 2024 was the first metrology convention to be held at our Bradford manufacturing facility, and we are absolutely thrilled that the event proved to be a tremendous success. As a business, we’re truly grateful for the chance to strengthen relationships and unveil our latest innovations to those pivotal in our success. I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you from myself and the entire Bowers team to the distributors who attended this year’s event for their participation. In these challenging times, I firmly believe that through closer collaborations with our partners and distributors, we can achieve even greater success together.”
MetCon 2024 gave guests a closer look at Bowers Group’s innovative range of products, including its world-renowned bore gauges and various sophisticated gauging solutions for non-standard applications. There was also the opportunity to learn more about the recently launched series of innovative field of view vision systems, the Baty Venture FV, as well as other advanced metrology solutions offered by the group.
Those who attended had the chance to explore the manufacturing processes, observe live demonstrations, and engage with the team of experts throughout the two-day event. They were also given a comprehensive tour of the facility, offering insights into the company’s operations and explore the latest advancements in precision measurement technology. It was also an opportunity to see the new Baty Manufacturing facility recently opened in Bradford.
The event received high praise from attendees and provided a valuable platform for Bowers Group to strengthen relationships with its distributors. Looking ahead, the group anticipates continued success, having demonstrated its dedication to excellence and innovation in metrology.
Eclipse Magnetics exhibited for the first time at MACH since 2018 and were delighted by the response. The NEC-based event took place in April 2024 and is the UK’s premier manufacturing event.
The Eclipse Magnetics stand was extremely busy, receiving quality visits from a diverse range of companies from the machining, fabrication, and precision engineering sectors.
Participation in the exhibition was supported by a variety of Eclipse marketing initiatives, which gained record levels of social media engagements and responses.
The Eclipse Magnetics range of high-performance magnetic filtration systems was the star attraction. Visitors were particularly interested in the tangible environmental and cost-saving benefits it offers.
The stand featured working displays showing the Autofiltrex and Automag automated magnetic filters. Visitors got a close-up view of the fine particle collection capability in action.
Magnetic lifters also proved to be a big attraction. The new Ultralift E was featured at MACH, offering a cost-effective, safer alternative to traditional lifting methods.
Dave Smith, Sales and Marketing Director, commented, “We were overwhelmed by the response at MACH 2024. Important themes for visitors were products that offer cost-saving and environmentally friendly solutions. By applying magnetic technology to every-day challenges, our product range is ideal to offer clear gains in efficiency, safety, and waste reduction. Our complete marketing package around MACH significantly boosted awareness of the wider Magnetics range”.
The Eclipse team is eagerly awaiting the next MACH, which takes place April 20–24, 2026.
The history of Bowers Group’s Moore & Wright brand is being brought to life by The Hawley Tool Collection as its new “Britain’s Tool Factory” exhibition launches at the Kelham Island Museum in Sheffield.
With a history dating back over 100 years, Moore & Wright is one of the most prominent names in measurement tools and one that is deeply rooted in the history of the steel city. Famous for its huge range of high-quality tools and measuring equipment, this new exhibition tells the story of the brand and its products, as well as some of its former employees.
Bowers Group Marketing Manager, Ellie Skinner, said: “This new exhibition really demonstrates the impact that Moore & Wright has had throughout its history, and it’s exciting to have our brand being celebrated in its birthplace. Sheffield has such an important legacy in industrial and manufacturing Britain, and it’s a real eye-opener, even to us within the business, of just how much Moore & Wright meant to the people of the city. The display really encapsulates the history of Moore & Wright; from the earliest tools manufactured to the latest in our line of digital micrometers, the team at the Hawley Tool Collection has done an incredible job.”
The exhibition offers a captivating journey through the brand’s history, showcasing its renowned products and featuring personal stories from former employees. Two years in the making, highlights of the display include a BBC video spotlighting Moore and Wright’s groundbreaking Micro 2000, hailed as the world’s first digital micrometer.
Moore and Wright, known as “Britain’s Tool Factory”, is still, to this day, one of the most prominent names in precision measurement around the world. Visitors can re-live the experiences of former apprentices such as David Barber, John Peace, and Steve Nettleship, while archived photographs capture the company’s vibrant community spirit. For those who have connections to Moore and Wright, the exhibition presents an opportunity to reconnect and maybe even spot familiar faces among the displayed images.
Founded in 1906 by engineer Frank Moore and businessman Charles Wright, Moore & Wright quickly became a recognised name in the manufacturing industry, establishing itself as a leading producer of precision measuring instruments and tools.
The company’s roots were deeply planted in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, a city renowned for its industrial heritage. Over the years, Moore & Wright expanded its product range to include a diverse array of high-quality tools and instruments, earning a reputation for accuracy, reliability, and innovation. With a commitment to excellence and a focus on meeting the evolving needs of its customers, Moore & Wright continued to thrive throughout the 20th century and beyond.
Today, as part of the Bowers Group, Moore & Wright remains dedicated to upholding its legacy of craftsmanship and precision while embracing new technologies to drive continued growth and success in the global market.
Bowers Group is delighted to announce its attendance at this year’s MACH exhibition, ensuring a focal point of the exhibition with exciting new products, a variety of connected metrology solutions and live demonstrations. Taking place at Birmingham’s NEC arena, MACH will be a significant occasion for Bowers Group, with the team committed to surpassing expectations with its largest ever stand and a variety of exciting new products to unveil.
Attendees will have the opportunity to find out more about the range of precision measurement equipment available from Bowers Group, including a selection of products from Bowers, Baty and Moore & Wright, as well as our trusted partners Trimos, Sylvac, ASH, Gagemaker, and WYLER. From bore gauges, micrometers and indicators, to sophisticated vision systems and software, the Bowers Group stand will offer a comprehensive range of connected metrology solutions to suit all needs. Alongside its existing range, Bowers Group will exclusively unveil exciting new products during the event.
Get up to date with the future of Metrology by visiting Bowers Group in the Measurement and Inspection Zone on stand 19-440 at MACH Exhibition between 15th to the 19th of April at the NEC in Birmingham.
Turners Retreat is proud to be celebrating 25 years in business. As the retail arm of Robert Sorby Ltd, Turners Retreat was established in May 1999 and has become one of the UK’s premier retail outlets in woodturning.
It based its ethos on delivering a quality customer service and experience whilst creating a “family” business feel for the customer.
When Turners Retreat began, its aim was emulating the No.1 retailer in woodturning in the UK, Craft Supplies.
The business was mainly in-store and telephone orders and an occasional consumer show in attendance with Robert Sorby Ltd. With the onset of online ordering, it soon had an additional revenue stream from the fledgling internet. The continued success of online across the globe has seen Turners Retreat continually develop its web presence and now accounts for a large proportion of its turnover.
With the ever-changing market and development, Turners Retreat expanded into attending consumer events independently, it introduced woodworking courses into its portfolio and now regularly has full bookings months in advance, as it offers its experience in educating its customers on how to get the best from their hobby.
In 2016, Turners Retreat took on the development of the already successful Peter Child Pyrography machine, with a slight re-design and the introduction on new tips it has seen the brand grow from strength to strength and is probably the premium Pyrography machine in the UK.
The drive and determination of the staff to make Turners Retreat a significant player in the UK woodturning market, proved so successful that in March 2013, Turners Retreat acquired Craft Supplies.
Since then, Turners Retreat has continued to grow with its customers, without whom it would not have been possible. That continued growth has given them the opportunity to celebrate 25 years with our customers in 2024 and host an Open Event in June.
As part of the celebration, Turners Retreat are producing 25 Limited Edition Six Piece Woodturning Sets and 25 Slim Parting Tools, all with handles made from Sherwood Forest Oak and blades by Robert Sorby.
The BoilerMag team in North America recently attended the 2024 AHR Expo in Chicago at McCormick Place. This is the largest heating Show in North America and was a great opportunity for BoilerMag to feature their market leading BoilerMag range.
The Show provided a great opportunity to meet potential customers and current Reps. With a steady flow of interested visitors calling to see the fully working BoilerMagXT demo unit, the exhibition was extremely successful yet again.
The BoilerMag team are now looking forward to doing it all again next year at AHR 2025 in Orlando!
Spear & Jackson France is celebrating exhibtion success after attending multiple exhibitions over the past few months. Exhibitions attended since the beginning of the year include the trade fair JDC Garden Trends, which took place in Marseille from 28 to 30 March, and two sign fairs; TERACT, in Paris from 26 and 27 April 2023, and Convention BRICO which took place between 27 and 28 June in Bondoufle.
S & J France were proud to highlight new products, multiple product ranges, best sellers, and private label products with positive reactions and feedback from customers.
As part of the Group‘s more formal approach to social responsibility and developing partnerships with communities and charities, and in line with the 4 step Group plan focusing on Communities, Fundraising, Volunteering and Donating, Eclipse Tools North America’s Mark Ward recently passed the selection process and training to begin volunteering at the local City hospital.
After an initial stint volunteering in the Kidney Care unit, he now covers the Friday evening shift in the Emergency Department. The St Catharines General Hospital is part of Niagara Health and the ED there is one of the busiest in Ontario seeing over 400 patients a day and 150,000 per year. This long-term community involvement supports the massively under strain local health service, as well as bringing the less obvious personal mental health benefits.
