Based in North East England, NTG Group comprises two specialist engineering companies whose combined strengths create a formidable proposition.
Established in 1979 as Newcastle Tool and Gauge, NTG operates from a 45,000 sq ft state-of-the-art facility in Gateshead, UK and specialises in high-precision machining, CNC milling, CNC turning, EDM wire erosion, and complex component manufacturing.
Following NTG’s acquisition by UK-based investor Ignite in 2021, ABS Precision was acquired the following year: it operates from a 20,000 sq ft custom engineering facility in North Tyneside and is a recognised leader in hydraulic bolting solutions and high-tolerance machining.
Serving sectors such as defence, energy and subsea, NTG Group has ambitious plans, backed by substantial investment in facilities and capabilities.
We spoke to Group Business Development Director Nick Betts about NTG Group’s recent evolution – and how it’s rising to today’s challenges… and tomorrow’s.
What has been happening at NTG Group this year?
2025 has been a fantastic year to date. Order intake in Q1 across the Group was £4.5 million, with some major defence contracts secured and more to come in the pipeline.
How has NTG Group progressed in recent years?
Our strategic journey began two years ago, and as part of that we have invested heavily in the business development function, facilities and new machinery.
Environmental and social governance has also been a key priority. For an SME, we are ahead of the curve in many respects: OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers are looking to SMEs to engage in that process and at the very least produce an ESG roadmap for the future.
With the UK Government now committing to invest more heavily in defence, how well is NTG positioned to support primes and tier one companies in that sector?
We are working with several primes and tier ones within the defence sector, and are being asked to expand that portfolio, due to our ESG credentials, world class engineering facilities and our state-of-the-art, multi-tasking machinery.
This sector offers stability and investment opportunities, as well as scope for longer term agreements, which in turn gives NTG Group the bandwidth to build for the future.
You’ve invested heavily in new machinery over the past year – what additional capabilities has this given NTG Group?
Our recent investment at the NTG site in Team Valley, a Nakamura NTY3-150 multi-tasking machine, was secured on the back of a five-year LTA with a major defence OEM: this has given us the ability to be more competitive as well as offering shorter lead-times and improved quality. A three-turret machine capable of mounting tools on up to 72 stations, it enables ‘lights-out’ manufacturing and is a superb enhancement to our facilities.
In addition, three new state-of-the-art DN Solutions machines – the Puma 2600, Puma GT 3100 and Puma 4100B – have been integrated into the ABS Precision site, to enhance the offering there. Collectively, these machines have given ABS Precision enhanced turning and multi-tasking capabilities, and have been designed for the kind of complex work undertaken at the site.
We received fantastic support from our machine partner of choice, ETG UK & Ireland. Without their support we couldn’t have hit the milestones required for the project, so my thanks go out to Martin Doyle and the wider team there!
You’re taking a very active role in organisations such as Make UK Defence and Make UK – why is being part of the nationwide manufacturing community important to you?
Make UK Defence and Make UK give us a huge amount of support with tenders and ESG matters, as well as facilitated introductions to OEMs and tier one companies. Those organisations provide invaluable resources and support, and can help position your business in front of the primes. Yes, it takes time, but you must trust in your strategy to deliver and back yourselves to win.
If we all work together in the supply chain, we can all benefit and support the defence sector.
You recently signed the Armed Forces Covenant – why was this important to NTG Group?
Signing the covenant shows our dedication and gratitude to the armed forces community.
We hope to leverage our position within the engineering and manufacturing community to encourage all to treat those who serve, or who have served, and their families with fairness and respect.
We also welcome applications from the armed forces community and work to accommodate the needs of individuals within our supportive working culture.
Plugging the skills gap – and developing a new generation of engineers – is very high on the manufacturing and engineering community’s agenda. How is NTG Group responding to this?
Like all engineering organisations, we’re acutely aware of the skills challenges that the sector is facing. There’s no easy solution to this, but we are playing our part.
We run apprenticeship programmes at both NTG and ABS Precision, through which young people are mentored by experienced team members – and we create an environment where they can thrive. We’re proud of the fact that over the years, ABS Precision has had 19 apprentices – and 18 of them are still with the business.
We also engage with the local community, which is important to our values: members of our team, including apprentices, have even helped to convert a double decker bus into a community greenhouse, for example.
But apprenticeships are just part of the story.
We regularly host students on work experience placements, so they can get a flavour of life in precision engineering and see the opportunities which are available, and we also host visits from primary schools. Sparking off interest in engineering and manufacturing among young people at an early age, and inspiring them, is key to tackling skills shortages. It’s vital that industry interfaces with both primary and secondary schools, as well as further and higher education.
What’s on the horizon for NTG Group?
We are about to embark on our next stage of growth – and there are some truly exciting opportunities on the horizon for everyone involved with NTG Group! More will be revealed soon…
For more information on NTG, click here.
For more information on ABS Precision, click here.