Wednesday 24th June 2026

Whether it’s the car you drove to work, the aircraft you’ve travelled on or the medical equipment used in hospitals, there’s a good chance the components within them have been manufactured using Sandvik Coromant tooling.

Founded in Sweden in 1942, Sandvik Coromant has grown from a producer of cemented carbide tooling into one of the world’s leading specialists in metal cutting solutions. Today, the company supports manufacturers across industries including aerospace, automotive, medical and general engineering, helping improve productivity, precision and sustainability through continuous innovation in tooling and machining technologies.

On Wednesday 24th June, Kate Valentine of Southern Manufacturing and Oliver Tucknott of Advanced Engineering attended Sandvik Coromant’s ImpAct Day at their impressive facility in Halesowen.

Walking into the Sandvik Coromant’s facility, it’s impossible not to notice the scale of the operation and, of course, the iconic yellow jackets worn by the team. We received a warm welcome before being given an overview of the day’s agenda, including live machining demonstrations, presentations and opportunities to speak with Sandvik’s technical specialists.

One feature that immediately stood out was the use of wireless headsets, allowing visitors to switch between colour coded channels and clearly hear each live demonstration despite the machines operating around us. It was a simple but highly effective way of ensuring visitors could fully engage with each presentation while remaining close to the action.

We headed over to the demonstration area where we were introduced to the CoroMill® MR20. Founded around the principles of stability, reliability and predictable performance, the CoroMill® MR20 demonstrated how relatively small tooling innovations can have a significant impact on productivity and tool life. Watching the live demonstration highlighted just how much thought goes into modern tooling design, with improvements focused on delivering secure machining, excellent surface finish and consistent performance across a wide range of applications.

Sandvik Coromant’s technology partners were also in attendance, including Mastercam, KUKA Robotics, Renishaw, Pro-Micron and MSP, showcasing complete manufacturing solutions covering advanced software, verification, automation and smart machining technologies.

Innovation was a consistent theme throughout the day and we managed to catch a presentation, delivered by Neil Mead from KUKA Robotics, who discussed the growing role automation and robotics continue to play within modern manufacturing. It complemented the machining demonstrations perfectly, highlighting how tooling, automation and digital technologies increasingly work together to improve productivity and manufacturing efficiency.

Despite it being the hottest day of the year, Sandvik treated everyone to a fantastic outdoor lunch, providing a great opportunity to continue conversations with members of the team. It was nice to catch up with some of the Sandvik team – Giacomo Marras, Customer Engagement & Events Specialist, and Lee Kendall, Machine Tool Solutions Manager, before spending more time exploring demonstrations and technology on display.

The event was exceptionally well attended and extremely well organised, providing visitors with an excellent opportunity to experience Sandvik Coromant’s latest innovations first-hand.

Events like ImpAct Day are invaluable because they allow manufacturers to experience new technologies operating in real-world applications rather than simply reading about them. They also create opportunities for engineers, manufacturers and technology providers to share knowledge, discuss common challenges and explore practical solutions together. As manufacturing continues to evolve through automation, digitalisation and advanced tooling, events such as these play an important role in helping the industry stay informed, connected and ready for the future.

A huge thank you to everyone at Sandvik Coromant for the warm welcome and for delivering such an insightful day.