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Aero-engine facility opens on Isle of Wight

Minister of State for Business and Enterprise, Mark Prisk, today opened a facility for the development of composite aero engine components.

The £14.8m facility, on the Isle of Wight, has been developed by CTAL and is a joint venture between Rolls-Royce and GKN Aerospace.

It will test pioneering manufacturing processes for aero-engine fan blades and fan-cases made of composite materials, which can reduce environmental impact by reducing the overall weight of the engine.

The development of such lightweight components is becoming increasingly important as the aerospace industry strives to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

70 highly skilled engineers will work at the facility, which has been supported with £7.4m in funding from the UK Government.

Mark Prisk said: “The UK has the world’s largest aerospace industry outside the USA with a 17 per cent share of the global market, which is worth approximately £23bn per year to our nation’s economy.

“I am pleased to officially open this state-of-the-art facility and to see for myself the work of GKN Aerospace and Rolls-Royce in developing sustainable aviation technologies that will have benefits for marine, health, construction and energy sectors.

“It is ventures like this that are helping to place Britain as a world leader in the growth area of low carbon solutions, while affirming our commitment to providing the technological needs of the future.”

Marcus Bryson, CEO and President of GKN Aerospace and GKN Land Systems said of the event that it demonstrated the organisations commitment to the Government’s growth agenda for manufacturing.

He explained: “The processes we develop here will be at the heart of the drive to improve the performance of tomorrow’s aircraft engines.

“This facility will help us ensure we and our supply chain sustain the level of technological progress necessary to meet major global aero-engine opportunities in the future.

“The UK’s aerospace industry is the home of many pioneering aerospace technologies and is one of the country’s leading exporters”

Director of Engineering at Rolls-Roye, Colin Smith echoed these sentiments, saying the facility would give the company the potential to improve the competitiveness of their engines.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .