Responsive Engineering is a contract manufacturer that supplies to household names in the transport and renewables sectors, as well as to parent company, Pearson Engineering. Pearson Engineering, is a well-known brand across defence, providing lifesaving equipment to global armed forces that defeats explosives and moves earth and obstacles.
The investment in the press brake from Swiss company, Bystronic, is part of a £5m capital investment plan that will see Armstrong Works equipped with rare manufacturing capability, enabling both Pearson Engineering and Responsive Engineering to take on work of an even greater scale and complexity than it already does.
The press brake will allow for single spans of heavy armour plate to be bent to specific customer requirements, preserving the integrity of the blast and ballistic properties of the material. The press brake is involved in the manufacturing of Mission Modules that will keep soldiers safe when deployed with the British Army’s BOXER vehicle.
Currently, both companies are working to deliver equipment and components to all of the UK MoD’s major land vehicle programmes, including armour packs for AJAX infantry fighting vehicles and turret structures for the British Army’s main battle tank, CHALLENGER 3.
The investment comes as 15 apprentices take their roles at Responsive Engineering and 3 join Pearson Engineering as part of the company’s growth plans and commitment to supporting the next generation of engineers into critical industries.
“It is vital that we invest not only in the capability of our site to allow us to take on bolder and more ambitious projects across a wide range of industries, but that we pair that capability with the recruitment of people who will see the benefits and opportunity that it will bring to our region for year to come. Our work spans not only incredibly important projects in defence, but the customers we work with help all of us to live better lives; they’re leading the way in renewable energy and transport safety. These are such exciting opportunities for our people to contribute to, and it’s a source of great pride.”
Rachel Mansfield, Managing Director at Responsive Engineering.
“These investments will bring significant opportunities to both Pearson Engineering and Responsive Engineering. We are proud to be creating a wide range of skilled jobs, especially for people early in their careers, as well as having a clear focus on developing all of our staff. Our social value strategy has a key theme around prosperity in the North East, and we are especially proud that over 60% of our purchases are with local suppliers. We are very pleased to be making these major investments, enhancing our capabilities and bringing benefits for the wider region and future generations.”
Craig Priday, Managing Director at Pearson Engineering.
Our battle proven minefield breaching products provide armoured vehicles with the capability to defeat anti-tank mines. Whether intended for deliberate breaching or to support ‘freedom of manoeuvre’ for fighting vehicles, our blast-resistant ploughs give Commanders the option to move unimpeded and in doing so, maintain a battlefield advantage.
Our earth loading capability delivers a powerful digging and carrying ability, enabling armoured vehicles to transport materials, clear obstacles, dig and fill trenches and to assist in construction tasks. Our loaders can be provided with varying degrees of function and therefore complexity to support different mission sets.
Our interrogation capability is rooted in providing additional capability for Counter-IED and Route Proving operations. To supplement physical detection from ground engaging roller systems, our interrogation arm can be used to further understand the nature of threats and to identify where risks may be present outside of the path of the roller.
Our obstacle and earth moving products include general purpose and multi-purpose dozer blades, designed specifically to meet the needs of different mission sets. Our blades are designed to be tough, robust and lightweight, enabling a wide range of obstacle and earth moving activities whilst minimising the impact on the vehicle’s mobility.
Typically used alongside Pearson Engineering’s Route Opening Mine Plough, Surface Clearance Device or Route Proving rollers, our highly configurable obstacle marking systems support battlefield mobility by quickly and reliably marking safe lanes and the edge of hazardous areas.
Our excavation capability is designed to support combat engineer operations such as digging, demolishing, removing obstacles and filling trenches to support Area Access and Area Denial.
Our approach is often described as a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ in that host vehicles can be adapted to take on various combat engineering roles, or to overcome challenges to mobility. Integration of our products with the vehicle is made via a Pearson Engineering Direct Fit Interface or Pearson Engineering Quick Connect. The most suitable integration method depends on the mission requirements and vehicle capabilities. Our engineers will work closely with end-users and vehicle manufacturers to define the most appropriate route to minimise the impact on the vehicle and to maximise operational capability. Decisions are often based on hydraulic and electrical availability as well as the required role of the vehicle. Our integration kits are used to fit products that are designed to enhance armoured vehicle agility, tactical flexibility and adaptability. They are designed to be configurable and to deliver ‘freedom of manoeuvre’ to operations.
Our recovery capability includes a range of dedicated and multi-purpose blades which are primarily designed to support the recovery of other vehicles and for moving of heavy obstacles. A powerful ground-engaging blade sinks into the earth to hold a vehicle static, acting as the force against which the obstacle can be pulled. The same blade can be articulated to provide some obstacle and earth moving capability.
Surface laid mines represent a rising threat as Armed Forces turn their attention to near peer conflict. Our solutions, each designed to support the missions of dedicated combat engineer vehicles or fighting vehicles, provide a comprehensive detect and displace capability to support deliberate clearance or self-extraction in the face of air delivered scatterable mines.
Our highly configurable rollers have saved countless lives, limbs and assets on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and have succeeded in ensuring ‘freedom of manoeuvre’ for soldiers around the world. Provided as either a full-width ‘route proving’ variant to actively check routes for the presence of Improvised Explosive Devices, or as a track-width ‘self-protection’ variant, our rollers are designed specifically to meet the needs of wide-ranging operational requirements. Our continued Research & Development and our approach to customisation provides confidence to those who use them.
Like all of Pearson Engineering’s products, our assault gap crossing solutions are designed to be modular, to be interchangeable with other mobility and counter-mobility equipment and to support ‘freedom of manoeuvre’ on the battlefield. In a time when units are tasked to ‘march divided and fight united’, independent manoeuvre support is key.
Our range of Mine Clearance platforms and tools provide Armed Forces and other organisations with scalable solutions for mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal and the defeat of improvised explosive devices. Our platforms and their tools can also be used to create mobility challenges for adversaries. Proven around the world, these mine clearance platforms and their tools are designed specifically to meet the needs of different operational contexts from large area clearance to support logistics and peace keeping operations through to clearance in complex terrain.