Press release: UK lands Boeing’s first European manufacturing facility

• New facility will showcase the UK’s world-leading aerospace manufacturing capabilities in making more than 100 advanced components for Boeing planes
• it will export £80 million of products a year while employing 25 apprentices
• Business Secretary Greg Clark attended the opening of the facility which was supported by a £2.7 million grant from the government through the modern Industrial Strategy

Manufacturing more than 100 high-tech components for the Boeing 737 and 767, the facility has been supported by a £2.7 million grant from the government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF).

The UK is a world leader in civil aerospace with strengths in some of the most technologically advanced parts of aircraft. Through the modern Industrial Strategy, government and industry have committed to invest £3.9 billion in aerospace technologies.

Boeing’s new facility spans just over 6,000 square metres, providing high skilled jobs including 25 high-valued apprentices and this is set to increase. The facility will source high-quality materials from the UK supply chain and produce several thousands of components per month. Boeing already employs more than 2,200 people in the UK and spends around £2 billion per annum in the UK supply chain.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said:

Boeing choosing the heart of South Yorkshire as its first European home is testament to the reputation of Sheffield as a centre of innovation, advanced manufacturing and the UK’s status as a world-leader in aviation. This new facility will export components around the world, boosting the UK supply chain and creating high quality jobs.

We are the wing capital of the world and leading aerospace manufacturer and through our modern Industrial Strategy, the government, along with industry are investing £3.9 billion in aerospace to seize the opportunities of the future.

Earlier in October, Boeing launched the Office of UK Industrial Capability (OUKIC) to enhance the competitiveness of Boeing’s UK supply chain and increase aerospace and defence technology exploitation in the UK.

The aim of the OUKIC is to drive the Long Term Partnering Initiative to increase opportunities for UK suppliers on Boeing’s civil and defence programmes, increase Boeing’s investment into the UK, and increase R&D spend with exploitation in the UK.

The new facility is located alongside the University of Sheffield’s world-class Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) which will also allow Boeing to initiate a major research and development programme. 

Boeing Senior Vice President of Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Operations Jenette Ramos said:

We appreciate all the community support for Boeing’s new advanced manufacturing factory in the UK. This is a fabulous example of how we are engaging global talent to provide greater value to our customers. In Boeing Sheffield, we are building on longstanding relationships and the region’s manufacturing expertise to enhance our production system and continue to connect, protect, explore and inspire aerospace innovation.

Mayor of the Sheffield City Region Dan Jarvis said:

It’s excellent news that Boeing has opened its first European factory here in the Sheffield City Region. Boeing’s choice of location is a strong sign of confidence in our advanced engineering excellence, confidence in our workforce and strong manufacturing heritage, and confidence in the cutting-edge collaborations between university and business that enable us to lead the world.

Boeing Sheffield will also be a key part of our region’s ‘Global Innovation Corridor’, creating a connected set of research and business interactions based on the advanced manufacturing and engineering strengths we have here in the region, and linking people, places and ideas. The opportunities for our communities, for businesses, for researchers and for the workforce of the future are limitless.

This opening of this new facility is hugely significant for South Yorkshire, the wider Northern Powerhouse, and indeed for the UK.

In 2015, the government and industry committed to spend £3.9 billion to further transform aerospace research and manufacturing until 2026 to help this sector build on our unique strengths in the UK through the modern Industrial Strategy.