“There is no better place on the planet than Sheffield to become an engineer, and no better company on the planet to work as an engineer,” he said. “Boeing choosing Sheffield as its first European home is testament to the region’s capabilities, talent pool and strong manufacturing supply chains which are vital to job creation and creating value for local economies.”
Jenette Ramos, senior vice president of manufacturing, supply chain & operations for Boeing, who led the high-level delegation flown in for the day, said that the £40 million investment Boeing had made was more about people than buildings.
She welcomed the 25 young apprentices in the audience to the Boeing community and presented a short film that highlighted their role in the new facility, which will manufacture more than 100 different high-tech actuation components for the 737 and 767 wing trailing edge.
And she continued: “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.”
But none of this would have happened, she added, without the vision and inspired leadership of two men: Adrian Allen and Keith Ridgway, founders of the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre: “They had the vision, we are just the people who are operationalising the vision.”
After the speeches, AMRC executive director and founder Adrian Allen said: “This has been a dream day for all of us. Twenty-years ago, we went knocking on the doors of Boeing in St Louis believing that if we kissed enough frogs one day we would find a prince. Boeing is that prince.
“They have been with us from the beginning; a constant source of support, inspiration and challenge. The one thing that you learn working with Boeing is that they think big, so they were able to buy into our vision from the very start. It’s been great to open this facility and see so many young people from across the region who will be playing a vital role in the manufacture of Boeing airplanes. But this, I believe, is just the beginning. There is much, much more to come.”
His friend and co-founder executive dean Keith Ridgway said: “Jenette is right; our success is all down to our people and the relationships between our partners. The University of Sheffield had faith in us from the very start, when we were just a handful of people with a fanciful dream. And Boeing had faith in us because they connected with our passion and commitment to engineering and manufacturing excellence. If we retain that passion and keep to the vision, the sky is the limit.”
Dan Jarvis, Mayor of the Sheffield City Region, echoed this theme, reminding his audience that only a week earlier he had been with another government minister opening three new University of Sheffield research and innovation facilities just a few hundred metres from the new Boeing production plant, and that next month he will be opening the new McLaren plant across Sheffield Parkway. “Make no mistake, there is no doubt something very special is happening here in the Sheffield City Region. What’s emerging is a compelling story and for the first time in a generation we’re witnessing very significant advances in the manufacturing story, adding new chapters to this great city’s reputation for innovation, research and for making.
“We are now, and have been for generations, a region embedded in the fabric of the world, bridges, skyscrapers, cars, ships, medical instruments and now on the wings of Boeing’s planes.
“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.”
The opening also celebrated the UK-based suppliers who have partnered with Boeing on this significant expansion in the UK. Among the suppliers, Aeromet International, a Worcester-based supplier of advanced aluminium and magnesium cast parts will provide Boeing Sheffield with high strength, complex and multi-core aluminium cast parts.
In addition, Sheffield-based Maher, a first-time partner with Boeing, will supply bespoke steel bar and pre-machined components made of UK-sourced steel from Liberty Speciality Steels, located three miles from the new Boeing factory.
Also recognised was MetLase, a first-time supplier to Boeing, which is based at the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham and which is Boeing Sheffield’s tooling and fixturing partner. Mettis Aerospace, a designer and manufacturer of precision forged and machined components from Redditch, will supply Boeing Sheffield with steel alloy precision-forged components. The other partners are AMRC Training Centre, D5 Architects, JF Finnegan, Mills CNC, Mitutoyo, Mott MacDonald, Nikken, Starrag and WFL.
