Doncaster-based mining rope manufacturer Bridon International has opened a £5 million technical facility at its Balby Carr Bank site. The Bridon Technology Centre (BTC) will design and test some of the largest ropes in the world, in what the company says is one of the most advanced facilities of its kind ever commissioned. Much of the investment has been in the facility’s custom-made testing and analysis equipment, which will evaluate rope constructions for their suitability for use in punishing conditions – enabling the development of increasingly sophisticated ropes to meet the needs of customers across a range of industry sectors, including mining.

The launch of the Bridon Technology Centre follows the recent opening of Bridon Neptune Quay – a state of the art manufacturing facility on Newcastle’s Tyneside capable of producing the largest and most complex ropes in the world. Bridon Chief Executive Jon Templeman said: “BTC will be a high-tech hub for next generation rope development, where the finest minds in rope technology use sophisticated testing equipment to validate the designs of the largest and most complex ropes ever made. This state of the art facility will enable us to develop and test ropes that perform at the highest levels in the harshest conditions on earth, and to collaborate with our customers on tailored solutions to the toughest challenges they face.”