New aerospace manufacturing site nears completion in Redditch

Mettis Aerospace has reported that its production development programme is close to completion at its new factory in Redditch.

The programme began in August, following the completion of the building, and is focused on maturing the products and processes required by the company’s customers using its six new state-of-the-art machines, fully automated production systems and error-proofed assembly operations.

The aim has been to get these right and remove variability so Mettis will deliver consistently for customers when the factory opens.

Mark Hamilton, director of engineering, said: “With such a complex and demanding development programme schedule, it’s great that we have on board many technical experts from across our business coupled with the experience of our equipment partners, including Heller Machine Tools and Seco Tools. Diverse knowledge, skills and commitment are the reason the programme is proving successful. There have been challenges along the way, which we anticipated given the ambitious technical scope but, thanks to our great team, innovative solutions are always delivered.”

Customer approvals have now been granted for the new factory’s special processes, enabling increased speed delivering components, minimise in-production transportation and reduce costs.

Quality requirements in the aerospace industry are among the highest in the world especially when companies, like Mettis, produce flight critical components. We hold almost 80 approvals from customers internationally and are proud of the scale and diversity we are trusted to deliver. We also have five, key Nadcap accreditations which recognise our commitment to quality and have been awarded as a result of rigorous, independent testing.

The final stages of the programme are being completed and Mettis is on track to enter production in early 2020.