Renishaw founder and Concorde engineer Sir David McMurtry dies | EUROtoday

Renishaw, the worldwide engineering agency headquartered in Gloucestershire, has introduced that its co-founder, Sir David McMurtry has died, aged 84.

Sir David began the corporate in April 1973, initially to develop a precision measuring device to be used on the Concorde supersonic jet.

Today, the corporate employs 2,600 individuals in Gloucestershire, and an identical quantity in 36 international locations around the world.

Renishaw’s high-precision measuring techniques are utilized by corporations that make plane and excessive tech bikes, medical and dental gear and numerous different merchandise.

“It is with profound sadness that the company has learnt of the sudden death of its co-founder and non-executive director, Sir David McMurtry,” a Renishaw spokesperson mentioned.

Sir David co-founded the agency with John Deer with its first industrial premises in Wotton-under-Edge, the place the agency remains to be headquartered as we speak.

They now have 4 different websites in Gloucestershire, at Charfield, Old Town (in Wotton), Stonehouse and Woodchester.

Until earlier this 12 months, Sir David was govt chairman of the group. He stepped down in June however remained on the board, taking an lively curiosity within the firm’s innovation and expertise.

Speaking on behalf of the board, Sir David Grant, interim non-executive chairman, mentioned: “David was a uniquely talented engineer and his curiosity and drive helped to create a globally respected engineering company.

“His legacy will dwell on by the tradition of innovation he helped to create in Renishaw.”

Sir David founded Renishaw to commercialise the 3D touch-trigger probe for co-ordinate measuring machines. He had invented the probe the previous year to solve measurement problems faced in the manufacture of the Olympus engines that powered the Concorde supersonic aircraft.

A brilliant engineer, he was employed at Rolls-Royce plc, Bristol, for 17 years, where became the company’s youngest ever Assistant Chief of Engine Design.

He was responsible for 47 patents at Rolls-Royce and went on to be named on more than 200 patents for Renishaw innovations.

As Renishaw grew worldwide, Sir David was given numerous foreign honours and accolades, including in Japan and the USA.

In 2008, the official magazine of the US Society of Manufacturing Engineers honoured him as a ‘Master of Manufacturing’, the first time that this recognition had been given to a non-US citizen.

But whilst he was frequently honoured in later life, he was a shy man who avoided publicity and was said to be happier in the company of young engineers at the company he helped build.

Today, Renishaw’s board paid tribute to him in a statement.

The company said: “Sir David will probably be vastly missed by so many, together with the generations of Renishaw engineers who he impressed and mentored. The manufacturing business has misplaced an ideal innovator and lots of at Renishaw have misplaced a father determine and a good friend.”