Aeromet International, a leading supplier of airframe and aero engine components, has expanded its relationship with Boeing by securing the biggest set of orders in the company’s 40 year history.
According to Aeromet, it has been awarded a new contract to supply parts to Boeing’s next generation 777X aircraft, alongside extensions to existing long-term agreements covering the supply of parts for 737, 767 and 777s.
Aeromet specialises in aluminium and magnesium cast parts, employing 260 staff at sites in Worcester, Rochester and Sittingbourne. It supplies aerospace and defence customers with a range of airframe and aero engine components including fuel system components, wing tips, doors and heat exchangers.
New parts for the 777X contract will be made using A20X®, Aeromet’s proprietary aluminium alloy and reportedly the strongest aluminium casting alloy on the market.
The firm’s managing director, Simon Holliday explained: “This agreement builds upon Aeromet’s 17-year relationship with Boeing and is a natural extension of a partnership that has seen the companies operational, engineering and quality teams collaborate on projects that have developed innovative solutions for complex parts.
“This win is a great example of what is possible for Aeromet when we focus on providing customers with innovative solutions and fantastic service.”
Apparently key to Aeromet’s success was support from the government-backed Sharing in Growth (SiG) programme, designed to raise the productivity and competitiveness of the UK aerospace supply chain. The productivity improvements achieved as part of this programme were pivotal to Aeromet securing an extension to its existing contracts in the face of global competition, according to Holliday.
Established in 2013 with £50m from the Regional Growth Fund and endorsement from Boeing, Airbus, BAE Systems, Bombardier, GE, GKN and Rolls-Royce, SiG has already helped secure contracts worth just over £1.6bn for the first 37 firms on the programme, equivalent to around 2,600 UK jobs. Ultimately the programme’s goal is to safeguard 10,000 UK jobs.
SiG’s CEO, Andy Page said: “We are really delighted by Aeromet’s achievement. It is without doubt proof that SiG’s four-year transformation programmes deliver and sustain improvements so that UK firms can compete for the continuing huge growth in the aerospace sector. SiG is already helping 50 companies achieve their aim of an average 50% increase in productivity.”
The Aeromet deal was cemented following a UK suppliers’ trip hosted at Boeing’s commercial airplane production facilities in the Washington State in 2016 which was supported by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department for International Trade (DIT).
Business Minister, Jesse Norman commented: “These new orders from Boeing bear testimony to Aeromet’s commitment to investment in R&D. This is a great example of how industry and government, through the Aerospace Growth Partnership, are working together to tackle barriers to growth, boost exports and create high value jobs.”