Editing Rugby, Warwickshire (section)

===Engineering and manufacturing===
[[File:GE Energy building, Rugby 10.21.jpg|thumb|The [[GE Power]] engineering facility in Rugby.]]
Rugby remains an [[engineering]] centre and has a long history of producing gas and steam [[turbine]]s and electrical equipment. Engineering in Rugby has taken place under a myriad of different companies; it was established in the 1900s by [[British Thomson-Houston]] (BTH) and [[Willans & Robinson]], which later became parts of [[Associated Electrical Industries]] (AEI) and [[English Electric]] respectively, until both were united as part of the [[General Electric Company]] (GEC) in the late-1960s, which itself merged with [[Alstom]] in 1989. Most of the engineering works in Rugby were based in the Avon valley area north of the railway station, since the 1980s much of the engineering works have closed with their land sold off for housing and commercial development, however engineering still continues in Rugby on a smaller scale under the auspices of [[GE Power Conversion]], which produces large electric motors, and services and manufactures steam turbines. In 2019 the Rugby site was threatened with closure, but was saved following an order for motors from the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]], after the House of Commons [[Defence Select Committee]], decided that closing the site would lead to a 'loss of sovereign capability and security'.<ref>{{cite news |title=UPDATE: GE site to stay open - but around 80 employees to be made redundant |url=https://rugbyobserver.co.uk/news/saved-ge-site-to-stay-open-but-some-jobs-could-still-be-lost-to-downsizing/ |work=Rugby Observer |access-date=24 March 2021 |date=20 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Saving industrial plant operators time and money: An inside look at the Rugby Repair Center |url=https://www.ge.com/power/about/insights/articles/2020/steam-rotating-equipment-repair-maintenance |publisher=GE Power |access-date=27 March 2021 |date=20 April 2020}}</ref>

Further afield, within the [[Rugby (borough)|Rugby borough]] is the [[Rolls-Royce plc|Rolls-Royce]] engineering works near [[Ansty, Warwickshire|Ansty]]. This is nearer to [[Coventry]] than Rugby.

Rugby is also a centre of [[laser]] manufacturing: This was started by the local firm [[JK Lasers]], which was founded in 1972. In 1982 JK Lasers merged with [[Lumonics]] of Canada and was for a time one of the largest industrial laser companies in the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=A serious laser player |url=https://www.electrooptics.com/feature/serious-laser-player |publisher=Electro Optics |access-date=19 April 2021 |date=9 September 2008}}</ref> Following takeovers and mergers, the JK Lasers brand name disappeared in 2015, and it is now part of SPI Lasers, a subsidiary of the [[Trumpf]] company.<ref>{{cite web |title=JK Lasers joins SPI to enhance TRUMPF's business in fibre laser technology |url=https://www.spilasers.com/news/jk-lasers-joins-spi-to-enhance-trumpfs-business-in-fibre-laser-technology/ |publisher=SPI Lasers |access-date=26 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Trumpf acquires JK Lasers for £21.2 million |url=https://www.machinery.co.uk/machinery-news/trumpf-acquires-jk-lasers-from-gsi-group |publisher=machinery.co.uk |access-date=26 March 2021 |date=16 March 2015}}</ref> In 2018, SPI Lasers announced that their manufacturing site at Rugby was to be doubled in size.<ref>{{cite web |title=SPI Lasers to double the size of its Rugby manufacturing site |date=30 October 2018 |url=https://www.pesmedia.com/spi-lasers-rugby-warwickshire-manufacturing-site/ |publisher=Product Engineering Solutions |access-date=15 April 2021}}</ref> A second laser manufacturing firm in Rugby is Litron Lasers, which was established in 1997.<ref>{{cite web |title=Litron Lasers England, Rugby |url=https://rugby.cylex-uk.co.uk/company/litron-lasers-england-19143431.html |publisher=cyclex |access-date=16 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=LITRON LASERS LIMITED Company number 03395353 |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03395353 |publisher=Companies House |access-date=15 April 2021}}</ref>