The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Tornado jet engine deal secured by Dundee firm
Three-year contract for growing firm will secure jobs
A Dundee engineering firm has won an exclusive contract to maintain parts on the jet engine that powers the Panavia Tornado combat aircraft.
ATL Turbine Services said the “significant” contract, which runs until the end of 2022, would help secure its 85-strong city workforce.
The agreement means ATL will maintain and refurbish thousands of parts for the Turbo Union RB199 turbo fan jet engine.
Chief executive Dale Harris said: “We’ve a huge amount of experience on working on the RB199 and we are delighted to win this new contract for support.
“The exclusive contract takes us to the end of 2022. Whether it goes beyond that depends on what some countries do with their Tornados.
“It’s a really good base load for work. It plays right into our core capabilities in terms of technology, skills, experience, process capability and it definitely will help secure jobs over the three years.
“We have worked with this particular client for a number of years and extending that relationship is a good reflection on the quality of service they are receiving from ATL.”
Based at the city’s Baldovie Industrial Estate, ATL is a one-stop shop turbine component repair facility, dealing in both aero and light industrial turbines.
It is able to refurbish parts back to a fully restored condition so that they have the same integrity and durability as new parts, making it a cost-effective alternative to buying new parts that, in some cases, can be difficult to source.
Last year, the company’s sales grew more than 10% to £7.2 million, with pre-tax profits of £1.5m.
Mr Harris said: “We’ve just hit our half-year and we’re still demonstrating good growth.
“This contract underpins the growth going forward.
“We are on budget for the year so far and our budget is significantly up.”
Since Mr Harris joined the firm three years ago, staffing levels have increased from 58 to 85.
The company has recently invested in its lab facilities due to an increased demand for material identification services.
Sales director Andy Adams added: “This contract proves the strength of that relationship and fits perfectly with our own business strategy.
“This win and our ongoing growth is a reflection of the whole team here at ATL and the service levels and responsiveness that is now ingrained within our culture.”