Nick Betts, Group Business Development Director at NTG Group, reflects on 2025 and provides an insight into what he anticipates 2026 holds for both NTG and ABS and the industries we serve. 

 

 

How would you summarise 2025 for NTG Group? 

I am delighted to say that 2025 has been a year of exceptional growth for NTG Group. We welcomed new people into the business, secured new customers and, importantly, strengthened our pipeline through longer-term contracts.

To facilitate our growth, we continued to invest heavily in our capabilities, with significant capital investment in advanced manufacturing technology. Over the past 12 months this has included the Matsuura MX850, Nakamura Tome NTY3-150 at NTG and at ABS Precision a DN Solutions Puma 2600, GT3100 and 4100B, all helping to further improve accuracy, expand capacity and reduce lead times across the businesses.

 

What’s been your biggest business highlight over the past 12 months? 

It’s hard to choose just one, but the standout highlight has been the team spirit across the Group. There’s a real sense of shared purpose across all departments working together, taking pride in solving customer challenges and delivering the highest-quality solutions. It truly feels like one goal, one team. 

We’ve also strengthened key relationships, from customers and supply chain partners to industry bodies. We were proud to join the North West Aerospace Alliance, sign the Armed Forces Covenant, and achieve Cyber Essentials certification.

Hosting our first Make UK Defence member event at our NTG headquarters was another major milestone. The “Fit for Defence” event brought together industry experts, primes, Tier 1s and fellow manufacturers, providing valuable insight into opportunities, accreditations and future defence requirements. It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase our world-class precision engineering capabilities, heritage, investment in people and facilities, and our commitment to supporting the defence sector. 

Honestly, there were so many milestones and moments to be proud of in 2025. And, I want to take this opportunity to reiterate that this is down to the exceptional talents and passion of the whole team. 

 

What lessons were learned in 2025 and how will you take them forward? 

The biggest lesson, or perhaps it was more of a reminder, has been never to become complacent. Success comes from consistent hard work, attention to detail and not taking opportunities, customers or colleagues for granted. Everything and everyone deserves one hundred per cent effort. That mindset will continue to shape how we operate and grow. 

 

What industry changes or advancements do you anticipate for 2026? 

As with many industries, I anticipate an uptake in the adoption of AI and automation. I think they will play an increasingly important role, particularly in quality assurance and repeat-order production. I expect to see more robotic and automated processes introduced to reduce manual intervention while improving consistency, efficiency and traceability. 

 

What does the future hold for NTG Group? 

NTG Group is on a clear growth trajectory, with continued expansion planned across turnover, workforce and customer base. 

We will continue to deepen relationships with OEMs and Tier 1 customers through longer-term, collaborative partnerships. Ongoing investment in advanced manufacturing technology, digital systems and skills development will further enhance precision, capacity and efficiency.  

In addition, sustainability will remain central to our strategy, building on our highly efficient facilities and commitment to responsible engineering. 

 

Want to keep up to date with our latest news, kit and innovations? Follow us on LinkedIn. Or connect with Nick to discuss your precision engineering requirements. 

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