MOOG’S £40 MILLION FACTORY UNVEILED IN TEWKESBURY

Aerospace company Moog Inc has unveiled its new £40 million factory in Tewkesbury. The 209,000 sq ft engineering and manufacturing facility is a significant investment in Moog’s UK capability.

Over the next 12 months staff and equipment will transition from its three smaller buildings in the town to the new building, which has the capacity to accommodate significant future growth.

Moog’s Tewkesbury facility manufactures precision products for aerospace.

These include equipment which move aircraft flight control surfaces, control the flow of fuel into aeroengines, provide aircraft with steering and braking control and equip helicopters with emergency floation devices.

The new building will have the capability to roll out digital factory technologies, introduce automated technologies and incorporate new efficiencies including flow lines.

Moog has been operating in the UK for more than fifty years, with nine locations and more than 1,000 employees. It is one of Tewkesbury's largest employers.

Work began on the facility back in March 2021, at the height of the pandemic.

The building, which is carbon neutral, is fitted with 2,400 solar panels capable of generating more than one megawatt of energy.

Mark Lawton, General Manager of the Aircraft Control Components division of Moog said: “We were delighted to announce the opening of our new facility.

“Our continued success in the marketplace resulted in us outgrowing the premises that we have occupied for more than 45 years. Our new facility will more than double in size and allow us to incorporate modern manufacturing practices.”

Business and Trade Minister Nusrat Ghani said: "This £40 million investment in Gloucestershire will create jobs, grow the economy, and boost an already thriving aerospace sector here in the UK.

“Thanks to the work of government, the Aerospace Technology Institute and Innovate UK, we were able to provide more than £8 million in collaborative R&D funding to develop this “Open Source” Factory of the Future."

Barberry, the Stourbridge-based development and investment company, built the facility, which is near junction 9 of the M5, and has agreed a 35-year lease with Moog UK.

MOD extends vehicle contract with Coventry-based NP Aerospace

The Ministry of Defence has extended its Protected Mobility Engineering and Technical Support vehicle contact (PMETS) with NP Aerospace to March, 2026.

The £63 million contract covering more than 2,000 vehicles was awarded to NP Aerospace, global armour manufacturer and vehicle integrator in 2019.

Since then, as Engineering Authority for the fleet, NP Aerospace has worked on more than 140 individual tasks that maintain, sustain and upgrade the vehicle fleet for use on operations.

According to David Petheram, Managing Director & Senior VicePresident, NP Aerospace Vehicle Systems, Services & Spares, tasks range in scale and complexity from lighting systems, software enhancements and communication system upgrades, through to full scale re-engineering programmes.

He said: “Through PMETS we have introduced significant innovations into the fleet such as the Mastiff and Ridgback XC offroad platforms and hybrid demonstrator projects – both of which improve overall capabilities and operational vehicle performance.

“Working closely with industry partners, NP Aerospace is able to maximise through life capability and introduce new innovations that benefit the Armed Forces.”

NP Aerospace has worked on MOD vehicles for more than 20 years.

The PMETS contract is estimated to have generated more than 200 jobs in the UK supply chain, with NP Aerospace managing all activities on the contracts.