Airbus Looks to Fill 200 Engineering Jobs

Following Business Secretary Vince Cable’s visit to the site, Airbus revealed it had been awarded a £1.4 million investment from the government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF).

The firm said the job boost would help Filton keep its position as a global centre of excellence in wing and landing gear design, testing and research.

The RGF funding, which is conditional on completing final government checks, will form part of a bigger £6.5 million Airbus investment programme.

The sum will be used to train new employees who will then work on developing the next generation of the A350.

The firm has already received more than 550 orders for this aircraft.

Airbus UK vice president engineering Neil Scott says, "This is very welcome news for Airbus and the region. Filton is the jewel in the crown of aviation engineering, testing, design and research in the UK and investment such as this will help ensure we stay at the cutting edge of aerospace technology and remain ahead of our competitors.

"We must continue to invest in engineering and research to protect Airbus and the future of aerospace in the UK."

A total of 4,000 employees already work for Airbus in Filton.

Mr Cable was given a tour of the facilities and shown the latest manufacturing process launched in April by Airbus’s umbrella company European Aeronautic Defence & Space Company (EADS) and GKN Aerospace.

The technology, known as Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM), uses laser or plasma energy beams applied to powdered materials to build products up in layers.

The process involves 'growing' the components from a fine nylon powder and the end product is said to contain only a fraction of the source material used in traditional machining.

The Business Secretary even got to ride the very first bicycle, or Airbike, made from this process during his visit.

He said: "The South West is becoming a real hub for composite and aerospace manufacturing and is exactly the sort of place where targeted Government support through schemes like the Regional Growth Fund can have real benefit.

"Bristol represents advanced manufacturing in the UK and we want to give an incentive to bring more firms in the area.

"By helping companies large and small unlock their potential for growth, we can make sure that we rebalance the economy and emerge with a stronger and more diverse industrial base."

Addressing Airbus and EADS employees, he adds, "What you do is extremely valuable. We are trying to drive manufacturing in the UK and we really want to reinforce and support your activities."

After his visit, the Business Secretary went on to officially open the new multi-million pound National Composites Centre in Emersons Green.