- 23rd September 2019
- Exhibitor Announcements, Manufacturing
Alliance provides initiatives and support for the aircraft industry
The North West of England’s aerospace sector is one of the largest and most capable in the world, generating over £8bn in turnover and directly employing over 25,000, highly skilled workers. With the industry forecast to grow by 4.4% per year for the next 20 years, requiring the manufacture of over 35,000 new aircraft worth over $5.3tn, it is clear that global competition for this work is increasing.
The North West Aerospace Alliance, joining forces with Northern Manufacturing for the first time, represents the cluster of aerospace companies in the region. The NWAA Cluster is the fourth largest in the world with 220 member companies from the primes to SMEs.
The NWAA’s mission is to support its members from the aerospace and defence sectors in three key areas: supply chain development, skills and innovation. It works to raise the international profile of members and positions the region as a global centre of excellence.
One of the flagship programmes that NWAA is delivering is the SC21 Competitiveness and Growth programme. This is a government and industry cross-sector funded initiative, led by ADS (the UK’s trade association for the aerospace, defence and security sectors) and the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders). The SC21 C&G programme uses the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Level (NMCL) system.
NWAA has been leading the pilot for the national programme and reports that more than 10 companies have commenced the NMCL assessment. As part of NWAA’s commitment to supporting and guiding the NW supply chain, the organisations in the pilot have joined the NW Aerospace Cluster of Excellence (ACE). This initiative allows companies to join the ACE to support them through the SC21 C&G NMCL assessment and enjoy benefits which include prime mentors and reviews by the programme’s NW stakeholders including: ADS, SMMT, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Safran and Boeing.
Visit NWAA on stand J81 or find out more at www.aerospace.co.uk
