MOOG unveiled its new engineering facility in Tewkesbury and Federico Ercoli went to see it.
After developing the first electro-hydraulic servo valve in 1951, William C. Moog managed to implement his creation on about half of all US fighter planes and on more than 70% of all guided missiles by 1954.
By 1960, the company’s total sales accounted for more than $10m and now the Moog Industrial Group operates over 40 locations worldwide and reported sales for $591m in 2014 – with Moog Inc. reaching $2.65bn in sales.
On October 15, Moog inaugurated its new engineering, production and service facility in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.
This, the company claims, will allow it to manufacture a major part of its precision control systems aimed at the aircraft, medical, space and defence industries in one site.
“We had an opportunity two years ago when the lease of our current facility was coming to an end, and at the same time we had two other parts of Moog in the UK that we decided to consolidate into one building, so this was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” says entity manager, Chris Curr.
The new building is poised to will deliver at least 2215 sqm of manufacturing space with an additional 1,863 sqm of office space.
This will support both hydraulic and electric motion control applications and service in industrial markets such as motorsport, test, industrial automation, and energy, while providing sufficient capacity for future expansion.
“The building has given us an opportunity to refresh everything we do, particularly in the production areas,” Curr confirms.
“We use lean techniques to set up the flow through the areas. Also, being able to have a brand new facility where we’ve put a lot of energy-saving processes in place, is helping us to set out for the future,” he adds.
Well-known for designing and manufacturing the equipment that controls the centre court’s retractable roof at Wimbledon and for being a leader in motion control products for Formula 1 racing cars, Moog’s future is pointing in the right direction, as the company is considering the implementation of pivotal technology, which is part of the latest manufacturing trends.
“I think the most challenging thing is keeping ahead of technology. We’re in a period now where people are talking about the Internet of Things [IoT] and it’s something that we see as a big opportunity for Moog.
“It certainly fits with our technology and so it comes down to knowing which things to invest in, which things should we be putting our money on, and making sure that we are aligning that with what our skills and capabilities here in the UK,” Curr says.
