Vickerstock insight to the Aerospace Manufacturing Industry
With the hype and excitement the B/E Aerospace Festival of Flight brings to Northern Ireland each year which took place at the weekend combining precision engineering with technical skill to produce a visual & audio display of awesome proportions, I looked into the Aerospace manufacturing sector in the region.
Northern Ireland has a rich, enviable and extensive role in the aerospace industry, considering our size we have played a role in aviation history over the years and continue to impact the global marketplace today where we have become a leader in aerospace technology.
We offer a reliable and consistent supply chain with innovation opportunities and ideal sourcing capabilities. We have access to a highly educated and skilled workforce with strong ethical drive where close networking throughout industry, government and academia takes place regularly. We are even perfectly geographically positioned with mainland Europe to the East and the USA and Canada to the West, three airports and daily international flights, we are an ideal destination for business.
Throughout the region we provide aerospace services for;
• Composites
• Defence
• Design & Stress Engineering
• Logistics
• Materials Supply
• Metal Forming
• Precision Machining
• Seating & Safety
• Structures & Wings
• Tooling
• Treatments
• Research & Training
Every sizeable modern day commercial aircraft programme has depended on structures, components and expertise from Northern Ireland.
It is clear to see why Aerospace has been identified in the NI programme for Government as a priority sector, £3.5 billion has been committed over the next seven years to grow the sector further through the Aerospace Technology Institute.
Over 60 companies operate in the sector in NI and they employ more than 8,500 people. We are Europe’s eighth largest aerospace sector for revenue and have a focus on aircraft manufacturing and design.
From the first innovative steps and beginnings in the early 19th century through to today where 1 in 3 aircraft seats are made in Northern Ireland. The aerospace industry in the region contributes over £1 billion annually into the economy.
Short Brothers Plc which was originally founded in London in 1908 was the first company in the world to make production aircraft. In 1948 the company moved to Belfast from its base in Kent and mainly produced turboprop airliners, major aircraft components and missiles for the armed forces.
Bombardier bought over Shorts in 1989 for £30 million and transformed the site & facility into the powerhouse it is today which has become the backbone of the industry in NI and a true catalyst for increasing growth for the entire supply chain.
I recently toured the purpose built 600,000 sq ft Bombardier wing facility with Russell McFadden who is the vice president at Bombardier and oversaw manufacturing production of the new C Series aircraft. The new site which was a part of a £520 million investment, NI’s largest ever inward investment that funded the research, design, manufacture and assembly of the wings for the C series truly gives off an impressive image of future engineering.
The innovative carbon-fibre composite technology that was developed in Belfast allows for an entire carbon fibre wingspan assembly which significantly enables both material and aircraft weight savings. This contributes and bolsters the C Series status and credentials as a game changing economic aircraft.
During the tour making the transition between the old factory facility and the new site was like stepping off one planet and onto another. The old site which is engrossed by loud noises, cluttered spaces, tools & manpower were everywhere and it gave off a vibe that shouts heavy industry and engineering from the front door. It is synonymous with the traditional old school image of your father’s factory.
The new facility however is more align to being in a scientific laboratory, after adorning my white lab coat, safety boots & goggles I emerged into what was a first for me and an impressive sight. Inside it was silent, immaculately clean, and so spacious it seemed empty besides the highly technical automated machines working on wings and a few engineers controlling them from computers. Even the oxygen in the facility gets replaced every few minutes in an exchange cycle that pumps clean fresh air in. It is a typical environment that is becoming more and more embedded in engineering, specifically the aerospace sector.
The Bombardier CS300 aircraft flew into Belfast following an impressive world debut at the 2015 International Paris Air Show in June. On its first UK flight, the airliner touched down for a demonstration at Bombardier’s wing facility in front of an impressed audience.
Hundreds of highly skilled engineers, operations employees and support staff have been involved in the C Series aircraft programme, it will generate more than 800 jobs during peak production and over 200 UK suppliers, including Northern Ireland companies, are providing materials and services to the production programme with many more participating on supply chain tiers.
But it’s not just the C Series that Belfast contributes to building, over fifty companies here supply critical components and services to projects like Airbus A320 and Boeing 737.
As recently as last week Belfast Met partnered up with Bombardier to lay on a two week Aerospace summer camp for students and individuals interested in a career in the aerospace industry and are providing activities and insights into the industry.
Our own unique aerospace journey at Vickerstock took off in 2008 when we started combining aviation engineering expertise with specialist recruitment knowledge to provide an unrivalled and informed service to our clients. We have aerospace embedded within our very roots and foundations.
We provide tailored staffing solutions in areas such as MRO’s, production, design & manufacture, modifications and management & administration. It is through this combination of skills and experience that enables us as a specialist engineering recruitment company to continue to remain ahead of our competitors in the marketplace and provide companies that avail of our services with high calibre employees to fulfil complex and technical roles within the aerospace sector.
In the past we have worked with some of the region’s best known and highly regarded companies, but our reach stretches well beyond the borders of Northern Ireland into the ROI, UK mainland and into Europe.
Looking to the future, as continued investment, growth and development takes place within the Northern Ireland Aerospace sector, Vickerstock will continue to provide support and specialist recruitment solutions for companies in the region looking to source and select the best talent for the best opportunities they have to offer.