The Northwest Regional Development Agency and Northwest European Regional Development Fund programme have confirmed funding for the North West Aerospace Supply Chain Excellence Programme 2.
The £7.1m programme, delivered and designed by the North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA), has secured £3.6m from the NWDA and £3.5m from the ERDF programme. ASCE2 will build on the work of the ASCE1 programme, which launched in 2006 and was the first coordinated approach to supplier development in the aerospace sector in the UK.
The project will be led and managed by the NWAA and a steering group including the NWDA, BAE Systems, Airbus UK, Rolls Royce, and representatives from the business support sector and academia.
ASCE2 aims to secure a competitive base of world-class SMEs in the Northwest aerospace sector by driving forward five priorities — skills provision, innovation, shared services, commodity groups and the extended enterprise. It is expected to help the Northwest aerospace supply chain compete in a global industry, which will ensure valuable contracts are won with world class manufacturers.
Said Steven Broomhead, chief executive, NWDA: “The Aerospace sector in the Northwest has an annual turnover close to £7 billion, and forms almost a third of the total UK Aerospace turnover, making it the most significant region in the UK.
“The ASCE1 programme is taking our regional supply-chain to the next level and ASCE2 will take us to the top of the ladder, offering a world class integrated cluster capable of competing globally.”
