Bladon Jets announced the opening of its engineering centre in Coventry today, housing advanced manufacturing and development facilities to increase innovation at the firm.
The Engineering Centre was formally opened by Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Sons, which is an investor in the company through its UK subsidiary Tata Ltd. The ceremony was attended by representatives from Coventry City Council, key business advisers, partners, and suppliers.
“The opening of our new Engineering Centre is a major milestone in achieving our goal of turning Bladon Jets into an industry-leading global business,” said Paul Barrett, chairman and technical director at Bladon Jets.
He added: “This centre will provide us with vital new resources to accelerate the development of our micro gas turbines as we gear up for volume manufacture.”
Mr Barrett pointed to the fact that Coventry is near the heart of the UK motor industry, as well as being a growing centre of excellence for the next generation of low-carbon vehicle technologies. His company provided the experimental propulsion unit behind the stunning Jaguar C-X75 hybrid electric concept car – is leading the world in the creation of miniaturised jet engines
He said that the new base allows the company to take advantage of a “of engineering skills and expertise,” while bringing the company closer to many of its key suppliers and partners.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Sons, said: “It gives me great pleasure to open the new Bladon Jets Engineering Centre, and to mark a significant step forward in the evolution of this innovative company.”
Business Minister Mark Prisk expressed his delight that the Government was able to support the collaboration between JLR and Bladon Jets.
Barrett said: “Bladon Jets would not be here today without the generous help of our partners, including Coventry City Council, WMG at the University of Warwick, and our technology partners A&M Precision Machining, IMS Metrology, Greeve Electronics, Materials Solutions metallurgists and Sodi-Tech EDM.”
