Welcome to the first edition of our 2026 Technology & Business Development Newsletter.
The year has started at full pace, with major milestones already achieved across operations, innovation, and industry engagement. From welcoming representatives from the US consulate and local MPs to celebrating new equipment installations and maintaining our ISO certifications, January and February have set a strong foundation for the year ahead.
Thank you for following our journey, there’s plenty more to come! 🚀
New Printer Arrival & Installation
A major operational milestone this month was the arrival and installation of our latest industrial 3D printer.
This addition significantly enhances our production capability and capacity, enabling us to scale material development and increase throughput. The installation process ran smoothly thanks to the hard work of our engineering and operations teams.
With this expanded capability, we are now progressing material development programmes and accelerating production scaling, ensuring we can meet growing demand while maintaining the high standards our partners expect.
Deal Maker Awards Finalists
We were proud to attend the Deal Maker Awards as finalists. While we didn’t take home the top prize, we were absolutely delighted to make the final.
Being recognised alongside such strong organisations is a testament to the hard work of our team and the progress we’ve made over the past year. Congratulations to the overall winner and thank you to the organisers for a fantastic evening celebrating innovation and enterprise. Moments like this remind us how far we’ve come and motivate us for what’s next.
US Consulate & Local MP Site Visit
We were delighted to welcome representatives from the US consulate alongside local MPs for a site visit to our facility at the beginning of the year.
The visit provided an excellent opportunity to showcase our advanced manufacturing capabilities, highlight our latest technology investments, and demonstrate the progress we are making in scaling production. Seeing our operations firsthand allowed for valuable conversations around international collaboration, regional investment, and the future of high-value manufacturing in Northern Ireland.
We’re grateful for the continued engagement and support from both local and international stakeholders as we work to strengthen innovation, create skilled jobs, and build global partnerships.
Other news
Digital Catapult Project Progress
We’ve also made strong progress in our Digital Catapult project in partnership with BMT. Our work on simulation development is advancing well, particularly in building out the digital twin of our testing processes. The ability to replicate and simulate real-world testing conditions in a virtual environment will enable smarter decision-making, improved efficiency, and deeper insight into material performance.
The simulations are becoming increasingly sophisticated, bringing us closer to a fully integrated digital twin that connects real-time production data with predictive modelling. The progress so far has been extremely encouraging, and we’re excited about the impact this will have on future manufacturing optimisation.
ISO Audit Success – Certifications Maintained
January also brought excellent news on the compliance front. We successfully passed our ISO audit, maintaining our certifications:
ISO 9001 – Quality Management
ISO 14001 – Environmental Management
ISO 45001 – Occupational Health & Safety
Maintaining these standards reflects our ongoing commitment to quality, sustainability, and the wellbeing of our team. Continuous improvement remains central to how we operate, and we’re proud of the systems and culture that make this possible.
Thank you for reading our latest newsletter and we’re looking forward to bringing you more updates over the next few months – as always get in touch with us if you want to book a chat or have any questions. If you know someone you think it would be good for us to have a conversation with, we would always appreciate being put in touch.
Look out for our next newsletter at the end of March and have a great month in the meantime,
The Vikela Team 👋
