British Steel creates 180 jobs in production drive
The company said the majority of the roles would be based at Scunthorpe, with the rest at the Teesside and Skinningrove plants.
Officials said there would be a "wide variety" of opportunities, including jobs in engineering, cleaning and workplace safety, as well as legal roles.
Plans to make 2,700 workers redundant were scrapped last month after the government took control of the company from its Chinese owner, Jingye.
Allan Bell, the company's interim chief executive, said the new roles would help to "build stronger futures" for British Steel and the UK economy.
"With the backing of the government, we are focused on cementing British Steel as one of the world's leading manufacturers of steel," he said.
"To help achieve this, and meet customer demand, we will be upping production across all our sites and recruiting more than 180 people to help drive us forward."
The BBC has been told 165 of the 182 jobs will be in Scunthorpe, with 17 at Teesside and Skinningrove.
An open day for prospective applicants will be held at the Scunthorpe Conference Centre, on Brigg Road, on 17 May between 10:00 and 16:00 BST.
Last month, the government passed an emergency law to take control of British Steel amid accusations that Jingye was planning to switch off two blast furnaces in Scunthorpe.
The closure of the furnaces would have left the UK without the capability to produce "virgin" steel, which is used in major construction projects such as new buildings and railways.
Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Related internet links
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Wire
29 minutes ago
- Business Wire
Rosen Law Firm Encourages Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Investors to Inquire About Securities Class Action Investigation
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Why: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces an investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (NASDAQ: TLX) resulting from allegations that Telix may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. So What: If you purchased Telix securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses. What to do next: To join the prospective class action, go to or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@ for information on the class action. What is this about: On July 22, 2025, Telix disclosed receipt of a subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which was 'seeking various documents and information primarily relating to the Company's disclosures regarding the development of the Company's prostate cancer therapeutic candidates.' On this news, Telix's American Depositary Receipt ('ADR') price fell $1.70 per ADR, or 10.44%, to close at $14.58 per ADR on July 23, 2025. Why Rosen Law: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. At the time Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
CNBC
30 minutes ago
- CNBC
Household robots are about to get a big price cut — if China's top 'robovac' player has its way
BEIJING — Household robots for cleaning are about to quickly become an affordable reality. At least that's what Quan Gang, president of Beijing-based robot vacuum cleaner company Roborock, has in mind as he strategizes for the next five years. The company ranks first among smart vacuums by global market share, according to IDC Research. Last week, it reported a nearly 79% revenue surge in the first half of this year. About half of sales came from outside China. In an exclusive interview with CNBC on Wednesday, Quan predicted that human-like robots will become part of many households by 2030, thanks largely to advances in generative artificial intelligence. And before then, he expects, Roborock can make its latest, high-end cleaner with an AI-powered robotic arm so cheap that the mass market will be able to buy it — for at most a few hundred U.S. dollars. "If we only focus on the premium segment, in the end, other than being the best robotic vacuum cleaner company in the world, we will have nothing," Quan said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. He noted that robot vacuums still don't have a very high household penetration rate. China, the largest market for the robot vacuums by value, has a penetration rate of only 5.6%, while the United States, the second-largest market, has a 22% penetration rate, according to Euromonitor estimates for 2025. The firm predicts penetration in the U.S. will tick up to 24.1% over the next two years, and edge down to 5.5% in China. Competition in the robotic vacuum + robotic arm category heated up earlier this year at the U.S. Consumer Electronics Show, with Roborock and at least two other Chinese competitors releasing demos. The AI-powered arm removes obstacles from the cleaner's path as it rolls autonomously around the house. So far, only Roborock has started selling one, called the Saros Z70 — but with a hefty price tag of around $2,600 on The site shows 141 reviews and a 4.6 rating. Roborock did not share specific sales figures. Initial reviews of the Saros Z70 from U.S. tech sites such as Mashable and Wired weren't impressed, especially given the price, but hoped for more capable versions in the near future. Both recommended that consumers stick with the more traditional Roborock Saros 10R — which retails for $1,600. Robot vacuum cleaner companies should develop products that "bridge cutting-edge technologies and mainstream price points to accelerate adoption," said Jin Liu, senior analyst of small appliances at Euromonitor International. But even if the price comes down, it would only be a small step toward having a robot help with cooking and other household chores. Vacuum cleaners are the "only successful application [of robots] in our homes to date," said Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). "This is after four decades of talking about how we're going to have robots in our home." "What made the [robot] vacuum cleaner so successful is it didn't cost that much," he said. For the same thing to happen for humanoids to enter homes, he said, there needs to be a compelling quality for the price. Humanoids, such as those from Chinese startup Unitree, still cost tens of thousands of U.S. dollars and don't have clear household use cases yet. Despite its mass market ambitions, Roborock said that because of tariffs, it had to raise the Saros Z70 price by $700 from the original $1,899. Quan said Roborock started working with suppliers late last year in Vietnam, where he said the company can fulfill all its North American orders. Looking ahead, he said the company is considering global supply chain partnerships, but not necessarily to invest in building its own factories. Roborock's plans for a Hong Kong listing are primarily to raise capital for international expansion, Quan said, noting the company is also expanding beyond vacuums. Despite Roborock's 79% revenue surge, the company more than doubled its spending, largely on research and development, steepening the company's losses in the first half of the year. Quan said the company has hired nearly 100 AI experts this year and is still hiring — with an eye to add a total of nearly 200 AI experts this year. He said many of the new hires have overseas education or work experience. The company built a dedicated AI lab in Shanghai and a research institute in Shenzhen, soon after Roborock's founding in 2014. When asked about computing power, Quan said there are many solutions and that buying Nvidia chips aren't the only option. As for improving the AI-powered robotic arm and making it cheaper, "the challenge lies primarily with the algorithm and data," he said, not the hardware. As AI becomes more critical for household robots, Quan has an even bigger vision. "If this robot in your home needs to clean, then it will have to integrate the cleaning knowledge that Roborock has accumulated over the years in algorithms, models, data and training," he said. "Then it can be installed onto the robot like an app." "This robot may be Tesla's, or Unitree's, or someone else's, ... but in the area of cleaning, it will be inseparable from Roborock," he said, claiming the company has the best data on cleaning tasks. Another company might have the best data for robots to cook, he said. The humanoid market will likely reach $5 trillion by 2050, with $800 billion in China alone, according to Morgan Stanley estimates. "With humanoids, if they can't do more than one thing, then they're competing against an existing form factor that can do one thing very well," Burnstein said. But ne noted companies around the world expect there's a big market for safe, affordable humanoids that can cook, clean, help the elderly and do other things. "We're not there yet with the technology, but maybe we'll get there and maybe that multitasking would be the differentiator potentially," he said. "So you wouldn't need 5 robots. You might just need one."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Taiwan to massively hike 2026 defence budget as US presses spending increase
By Yimou Lee, Ben Blanchard and Jeanny Kao TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan plans to boost defence spending by a fifth next year, surpassing 3% of gross domestic product, as it invests billions more in new equipment to better face down China and convince the United States it takes seriously calls to bolster its military. The move comes as China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has ramped up military and political pressure over the past five years to assert its claims, which Taipei strongly rejects. But Taiwan also faces calls from Washington to spend more on its own defence, mirroring pressure from the United States on Europe. This month, President Lai Ching-te said he wanted to boost defence spending to more than 3% of GDP next year. Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai told reporters that 2026 defence spending would reach T$949.5 billion ($31.27 billion). At 3.32% of GDP, the figure crosses a threshold of 3% for the first time since 2009, government figures showed. "This is another concrete demonstration to the world and to our people of our determination and ability to safeguard national sovereignty and security, maintain stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region, and fulfil our shared responsibilities to the world," Cho said on Thursday. Taiwan was following the "NATO model" to include spending on the coast guard and veterans in total defence expenditure, he added. That represents a rise of 22.9% over this year, Hsieh Chi-hsien, head of the defence ministry's comptroller bureau, told reporters. The plans included several special defence budget proposals totalling T$117.6 billion, for new fighter jets and boosting naval defences among others, which had been widely expected from the defence ministry in the coming parliament session this year. Taiwan was including spending for the coast guard in its total defence budget for the first time, two senior officials briefed on the matter separately told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. "They are standing on the frontline," said one, referring to the coast guard, which figures in regular stand-offs with China's coast guard and would, in time of war, be pressed into the navy's effort to defend Taiwan. "Facing new types of threat, including grey-zone tactics, it is necessary to include the coast guard in defence spending," the official said, referring to Chinese pressure tactics such as regular coast guard patrols near Taiwan's islands. Taiwan's government has made military modernisation a key policy platform and has repeatedly pledged to spend more on its defences given the rising threat from China, including developing made-in-Taiwan submarines. China's air force flies almost daily missions into the skies near Taiwan, and holds periodic war games, the last in April. China is also rapidly modernising its armed forces, with new aircraft carriers, stealth fighter jets and missiles. In March China unveiled a rise of 7.2% in this year's defence spending, to 1.78 trillion yuan ($248.17 billion), outpacing its 2025 economic growth target of about 5%. ($1=30.3650 Taiwan dollars) ($1=7.1724 Chinese yuan) Solve the daily Crossword
