Boeing doubles Sheffield site spend to £40m
BOEING IS doubling investment in its Sheffield factory to £40m – in a massive vote of confidence in the city.
The aerospace giant is doubling the size of its forthcoming facility, its first in Europe.
And bosses at a groundbreaking ceremony confidently predicted, “there’s more to come.”
James Needham, who will be in charge of ‘Boeing Sheffield’ when it opens at the end of 2018, said they had merged phases One and Two, doubling the investment and the manufacturing space in one go.
The site on Sheffield Business Park will make parts for actuators, motors which move wingflaps. It comes 16 years after Boeing founded the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Sheffield University, which is based nearby.
Mr Needham, a Sheffield Hallam University mechanical engineering graduate, said it would employ 30 initially, growing to more than 50.
Some 19 apprentices and two programmers have already been hired and the plan was to source all supplies locally.
He added: “Boeing likes to do things big. Since the project was announced it’s had more and more support from within the company, so the factory is doubling in size.
“That means it will be producing more components, and means more jobs and investment in the region
“One of the reasons Boeing is investing in Sheffield is access to talent. They need it in the supply chain as well as in the facility.”
Mr Needham spent 12 years working for the AMRC on research projects for firms including Rolls Royce, before being hired by Boeing in May.
The factory will be part of Boeing Fabrication, the company’s inhouse manufacturing operation.
Kim Smith, vice-president of Boeing Fabrication, said: “There is definitely more to come. Today’s ceremony is symbolic and shows our commitment. I think this is just the beginning and an opportunity for Boeing Sheffield to impress.”
Sir Michael Arthur, president of Boeing Europe, said it was a big step for the firm.
He added: “They are very demanding, building the first European factory here is a big vote of confidence in Sheffield and the AMRC.”
The AMRC employs 650 while 800 apprentices attend the AMRC Training Centre.
Keith Ridgway, AMRC executive dean and co-founder, said: “Our first building was on this site and it would probably fit in our boardroom today. We always said we wanted Boeing to make parts here.
“The fact they are doubling the size already means there’s no reason why it can’t expand further.”
Boeing Sheffield will form part of the company’s global network of commercial aeroplanes’ fabrication sites and will produce actuation system components for the Next-Generation 737, 737 MAX and 777 aircraft.
It will manufacture spur gears, shafts and housings from materials that are sourced in the UK.
Components will be shipped to Boeing Portland.
It will make bevel and mixed gears for these assemblies, then inspect and assemble components from both sites into actuation systems.
Boeing Portland will install the systems on to flaps and ship them to Boeing’s airplane factories for installation on airplane wings.
The firm is receiving £5.75m of public money from the Business Investment Fund, run by the Local Enterprise Partnership, the business body which covers Sheffield City Region.
Nigel Brewster, vice chair of the LEP, said: “Boeing’s investment is hugely significant, not just for the region’s economy, but for the North and for the UK.
“With Boeing, Rolls Royce and McLaren here we can confidently say this area is at the forefront for high performance components for the aerospace and automotive sectors.