MP opens new development centre

A new £1 million composite development centre at Senior Aerospace BWT in Adlington was recently opened by the MP for Macclesfield, David Rutley.

Dedicated to research and development, the new development centre will play an innovative role in producing the next generation of composite products, and will underpin Senior Aerospace BWT’s ambitious growth plans. Senior BWT has just started work on the government-funded Sharing in Growth programme to support its growth ambitions.

The new facility comprises of two main functional areas: textiles and process. The textiles room houses a state of the art textile manufacturing machine, which allows the business to develop and produce novel composite preforms in a wide variety of materials. The process room is a flexible manufacturing area designed to support the fast changing environment that composite research and development demands.  The area is provided with climate control, a state of the art composites processing oven, material handling equipment, and fume and dust extraction. The new centre will focus on dry fibre composite preforms which are being developed to reduce cost, weight, cycle times, and environmental impact, which are critical in the aerospace market.

David also toured the large Adlington production facility, viewing the latest technology and meeting skilled staff. With 95% of its annual turnover being exported, Senior BWT employs 400 people, making it one of the leading employers in the Macclesfield area.

Senior Aerospace BWT chief executive officer Darren Butterworth said: “This significant investment is part of our continued commitment to innovation and business growth which will help maintain BWT’s position as a world leader in the design and manufacture of lightweight low pressure air distribution ducting systems for aircraft. We have been preparing for the opening for over 12 months. It has involved extensive specific training for a core team of engineering specialists who are now progressing with the R&D work.”

Following the visit David said: “This new facility ensures that Senior Aerospace BWT will continue to thrive in competitive export markets. The business is already a leading employer in the local area and it was good to see how they are making significant investment for the future. With their skilled workforce and state of the art machinery, the company is well placed to see continued success in the aerospace market in the years ahead.