Paragon backs Northern Ireland aerospace specialist with £1.6 million investment

Paragon Bank has provided £1.6 million in asset finance to Datum Tool Design, a Lisburn-based aerospace tooling specialist, to fund the purchase of a 22-metre PROMAC SHARAV HGVT 4.0 5-axis CNC machining centre. The machine, described as the largest of its type in Ireland, will enable Datum to manufacture larger and more complex composite and metal tooling in-house for major aircraft programmes including Airbus, Bombardier, and BAE Systems. The deal was facilitated by Paul Close Finance and led by Paragon’s Business Development Manager Joe Blanthorn.

This investment is a clear signal of the ongoing capital intensity required in aerospace tooling, where precision, scale, and delivery confidence are non-negotiable. Datum Tool Design operates in the industrial tooling and fixtures segment of the AM value chain, a domain that is often media-invisible but economically critical for enabling serial production of composite airframe structures. By bringing a 22-metre machining centre in-house, Datum is effectively verticalising its supply chain for large-format tooling, reducing reliance on external subcontractors and gaining tighter control over quality and scheduling. The funding also includes grant support from the UK Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), underscoring the strategic importance of retaining advanced manufacturing capability within the domestic supply base.

For Paragon, this is a textbook example of asset finance supporting an established SME in a high-qualification-burden vertical. The practical takeaway is that Datum now has the physical capacity to bid for larger, more complex aerospace tooling contracts, but the real test will be execution: maintaining the tight tolerances and delivery schedules that programmes like the A350 or BAE Tempest demand. This is not a moonshot; it is a measured step in capacity expansion that, if successful, will quietly strengthen the UK's aerospace tooling substrate.