FaME38 is the new support facility for materials engineering at the ILL-ESRF. It has been created to assist and to encourage the use of central neutron and synchrotron X-ray facilities for materials engineering research. FaME38 has a laboratory equipped with advanced metrology tools, a materials characterisation suite and off-line sample mounting facilities. Additionally, it provides technical know-how to those with little or no experience of neutron and synchrotron X-ray scattering to enable them to perform successful and efficient experiments. Although FaME38 supports a wide range of materials engineering applications, particular focus is made on strain scanning which has been one of the few areas in which neutrons have made an impact in engineering research. The facilities and activities of FaME38 are described with particular emphasis on the use of improved sample positioning equipment and procedures.