Boeing begins construction on its first European production facility in Sheffield

Leading aerospace company Boeing ceremonially broke ground at the site of its new manufacturing facility recently (12 September 2017).

The new 6,200m² 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 announcement 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, USA, 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: “This event is an important milestone 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.”

Co-founder Adrian Allen, now executive director of the AMRC, added: “We are proud to be associated with Boeing and the beginning of construction for Boeing Sheffield gives testimony to one of the many reasons major investors are attracted to the region – our increasing talent pool.

“We have over 600 staff and to date our AMRC Training Centre has trained over 800 talented engineering apprentices, some of whom will now form a new generation of Boeing engineers. Drawing on our expertise here at the AMRC, will ensure Boeing can take advantage of the latest technologies, techniques and research to fuel its growth within the UK and provide opportunities for the UK supply chain.”

AMRC www.amrc.co.uk