Made in Wales

Made in Wales
Made in Wales

Working alongside Welsh Government, Aerospace Wales Forum's chief executive, John Whalley sings the praises of Wales' rich tapestry of aerospace & defence companies based in the region.

It may come as a surprise to some that Wales has such a strong dynamic aerospace sector. With just 5% of the UK population, we have around 10% of the UK's aerospace industry which includes 20% of the UK MRO market.

They're quite impressive statistics and clearly show we punch above our weight. We have 160 aerospace & defence companies employing 20,000 people in Wales with a combined turnover of more than £5 billion.

So why is the sector so strong in Wales? It's a combination of factors: we have key players based in Wales, plus a real passion for the sector that's committed to supporting its growth. We also have considerable academic expertise and great training programmes to produce a skilled workforce.

As the trade association for all companies operating in the aerospace & defence sector in Wales, Aerospace Wales Forum works closely with the Welsh Government to promote Welsh capabilities globally, facilitate collaboration and networking opportunities and encourage and support participation at major international events.

We work with companies of all sizes to provide the tailored business support they need to grow. Our key players include among others, Airbus, Marshall Aviation Services, BAE Systems, GE, Nordam, Babcock and British Airways. The Airbus wing manufacturing operation in Broughton, North Wales, has been the subject of massive investment and is the single largest manufacturing plant in Britain. Employing 6,000 and supporting a further 2,000 people in the local supply chain, Airbus spends more than £120 million annually through its Welsh supply chain.

Airbus Group Innovations and Airbus Defence and Space is based in South Wales alongside their campus hosts, Testia, an aerospace non-destructive testing inspection and training facility for both Airbus operations and aircraft operators worldwide. The Welsh Government recently signed a MoU with Airbus Group to bring new technology projects to Wales.
Academic expertise is a vital ingredient for the growth of the sector and Wales has a number of notable centres including Cardiff University's Morgan-Botti Lightning Laboratory.

This unique research facility focuses on carbon composite materials and is dedicated to helping design better aerospace materials and components with optimised lightning protection. It's one of only a handful worldwide and capable of generating controlled lightning with currents up to 200,000A, more than five times that of an average lightning strike.

Space sector academic expertise across six Welsh universities is brought together through the Wales Academic Space Partnership (WASP). It includes Aberystwyth University, home to the Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG) - one of the largest and best-known robotics groups in the UK where work in space robotics has been prominent with involvement in Beagle2 and several future Mars missions. Optical solar reflectors, earth observation systems, satellite solar cells and 80% of the world's space glass are just some of the products made in Wales.

We have two test facilities for remotely piloted air systems, with one site in the running to be the UK's first space port.
With extensive industry expertise, access to segregated airspace, and world class research, we are ready to play our part in supporting the UK goal of capturing 10% of the 2030 £400bn space market.

The Wales Space Strategy aims to support the UK's objectives. Our vision is for Wales to generate 5% of the UK space industry's turnover – a £2bn opportunity per annum by 2030.

I take huge pride in what we have in Wales and this passion is shared by Government. But we're not insular, and collaboration – which is part of the Welsh culture - is vital to the growth of the industry and the cornerstone to 21st century operations.

The Aerospace Wales Forum and Welsh Government will continue to work closely with all stakeholders and businesses across Wales to ensure the sector thrives and Wales retains its status as a centre of excellence for aerospace manufacturing and MRO related activities.

www.aerospacewalesforum.com

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