Boeing starts construction on its first European production facility in Sheffield
Leading aerospace company Boeing ceremonially broke ground at the site of its new manufacturing facility today, which will be built alongside the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in Sheffield (a part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult).
The new 6,200-square metre Boeing Sheffield facility, due to open in late 2018, is situated alongside the University of Sheffield’s Factory 2050, part of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC).
It will manufacture actuation system components for Boeing’s Next-Generation 737, 737 MAX and 777 aeroplanes – enhancing production efficiency and reducing costs whilst maintaining quality.
The Sheffield facility is part of Boeing’s broader plan to grow in-house production of selective technologies and will be the company’s first production facility in Europe.
Boeing is also planning a major research and development programme with the AMRC to develop new manufacturing techniques that can be applied to the Boeing Sheffield facility and then implemented across Boeing internationally.
Sir Michael Arthur, President of Boeing Europe and Managing Director of Boeing UK and Ireland, said the company was proud to celebrate the ground-breaking of Boeing Sheffield and welcome more employees to the company – seven months after it announced its intention to build the factory.
He said: “Boeing Sheffield is further evidence of Boeing’s long-term commitment to the prosperity of this country. We are grateful to the communities of Sheffield and Rotherham, as well as Sheffield City Council and the Local Enterprise Partnership, for supporting Boeing Sheffield and our growing presence in the region.”
When it opens, Boeing Sheffield will produce as many as 8,000 components per month that will be shipped to Boeing Portland, another Boeing Fabrication site in Oregon, U.S.A., to be assembled into actuation systems. The Sheffield facility will initially employ 30 people on opening, growing to more than 50 employees. This includes 19 manufacturing apprentices, who have already been recruited and are being trained at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) Training Centre.
Professor Ridgway, founder and Executive Dean of the AMRC said: “The ground-breaking today is an important event not only for Boeing, but for the AMRC, the University of Sheffield and the city region.
“It is the culmination of a partnership that began 16 years ago, and the realisation of a vision that one day we would see a Boeing manufacturing plant built in our region and employing skilled and talented local people.”
“This symbolic event confirms that the Sheffield City Region is fast becoming the leading location in Europe for investment in high-value, advanced manufacturing. We look forward to supporting Boeing with a research and development programme that will bolster their manufacturing activities in the UK.”
