UK announces new jobs and investment for UK advanced engineering excellence

2012-08-12

· Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing and MARKET-MATS, with the support of The Get It Group LLC, have signed an agreement to locate their advanced manufacturing campuses in the Hereford Enterprise Zone and Model Farm Ross-on-Wye, creating over 1,000 new jobs, over 10 per cent of whom will be apprentices, and increasing local spending power by £20 million per annum.

· Airbus will recruit 169 apprentices and graduates in September, in addition to taking on around 600 new UK employees during 2012.

· Bifrangi has received permission for a new steel forge in Lincoln and will invest €50 (£39) million, creating 50 and safeguarding 100 jobs.

· Pirelli Group announces a £20m investment in R&D and new process machinery; creating 37 new and protecting 120 UK jobs.

· GKN plc announces investment of more than £12m to increase the capacity of its facilities in Birmingham and Telford.

· Precision Technologies Group (PTG) announces new £3.3 million machine sales to China.

· Cella Energy is working with NASA on advanced research programmes, including space satellite radiation shielding, generating up to 25 new UK jobs.

· BGS International has won a £97,000 tender to assist the Indian Government in implementing a major airborne geophysical survey programme.

The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will today announce a series of deals by UK companies that will lead to hundreds of jobs in the engineering, aerospace and automotive sectors. He will give the keynote address at the British Business Embassy on advanced engineering excellence being held at Lancaster House today.

Senior representatives of major global companies such as Airbus, Bombardier, Jaguar Land Rover, JCB, McLaren Racing, Nissan, Rolls-Royce, Siemens, Atkins, GKN and Spirit AeroSystems will attend and participate in panel-led discussions about the strength of the UK as a trading partner and the investment location of choice.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, said:

“The skills and expertise of British businesses are gold medal standard and highly sought after across the world.

“The UK is one of the top ten manufacturers in the world. Our manufacturing sector is a national success story and lies right at the heart of our strategy for economic recovery and growth.

“The announcements being made today will create and safeguard jobs and stimulate growth. They are a welcome boost to British business and a vote of confidence in the UK.”

The summit will explore the UK’s capability in this high growth sector and investments into the UK; how the collaboration between academia and business has helped the UK retain and build its leading edge position; supply chain excellence and British engineering.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said:

“The key to a sustainable and balanced economy is having a long-term approach to growth, investing in manufacturing technology, R&D and skills so we have the right talent to make the most of the recovery.

“Working with business, we are taking steps to strengthen the UK’s manufacturing capability, ensuring a better business environment that will address barriers to growth, encourage innovation, exports and inward investment as well as build UK supply chains.“

Source: UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills