£1m research centre will help manufacturing plant get ahead
A £1 million development centre has been built at an aerospace manufacturing plant in Adlington.
Macclesfield MP David Rutley was invited to Senior Aerospace BWT to open the new centre, which will be dedicated to research and development.
Darren Butterworth, Senior Aerospace BWT chief executive officer, explained that the centre will play an innovative role in producing the next generation of composite products and will underpin the firm’s growth plans.
He said: “This significant investment is part of our continued commitment to innovation and business growth which will help maintain BWT’s position as a world leader in the design and manufacture of lightweight low pressure air distribution ducting systems for aircraft.
“We have been preparing for the opening for over 12 months. It has involved extensive specific training for a core team of engineering specialists who are now progressing with the R&D work.”
Senior BWT, which employs 400 people, has just started work on the government-funded Sharing in Growth programme to support its growth ambitions.
The new facility comprises of two main functional areas – textiles and process. The textiles room houses an art textile manufacturing machine which allows the business to develop and produce novel composite preforms in a wide variety of materials.
The process room is a flexile manufacturing area designed with climate control, a composites processing oven, material handling equipment, and fume and dust extraction.
The new centre will focus on dry fibre composite preforms which are being developed to reduce cost, weight, cycle times, and environmental impact, which are critical in the aerospace market.
Mr Rutley, who also toured the production facility, said: “This new facility ensures that Senior Aerospace BWT will continue to thrive in competitive export markets. The business is already a leading employer in the local area and it was good to see how they are making significant investment for the future. With their skilled workforce and state of the art machinery, the company is well placed to see continued success in the aerospace market in the years ahead.”