Alliance details progress towards 'super clusters'

THE profile of the aerospace industry of the future, based on excellence in manufacturing and knowledge based supply chain "Super Clusters" was outlined at a special event staged at Paris International Air Show.

The North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA) sees cluster re-shaping as the focal point for the future of the aerospace supply chains in the UK, with world-competitive companies supplying the skills and supply chain capacity to meet the needs of the Primes.

Speakers at the event, including representatives of the Hyde Group and RLC Group, outlined the benefits of the NWAA's Aerospace Supply Chain Excellence Programme, which has already attracted £4.2 million in funding and is worth more than double to £8.5 million with match funding from industry.

The programme aims to elevate at least 45 companies to world-competitive status over the next four years.

Comments NWAA Executive Director Martin Wright: "We are seeing aerospace manufacturing clusters re-forming under the supply chain restructuring strategy of the primes, leading to the creation of a 'super cluster' based on common language and enhanced, defined skill sets. The NWAA Supply Chain Excellence programme is at the heart of this process and aims to ensure that the North West has both the skilled workforce and manufacturing capacity to meet the needs of the aerospace industry of the future.

"We are currently evaluating the possibility of developing cluster models to predict skills capacity requirements and supply chain capacity to meet future demand, based on the sub-contract needs of primes, thereby taking significant risk out of the supply process."