The Scottish aerospace industry is looking to take off following a recent £5M investment in the sector. Spirit AeroSystems has recently completed infrastructure investment at its Prestwick site, which was officially opened this week by Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, Keith Brown.
Designing and building large aerostructures, including fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components, for both commercial and defense programs, from its facilities at Prestwick, Spirit Europe is one of the largest airframe suppliers to Airbus and is a key supplier of major wing structures. Spirit Europe also produces wing structures for Boeing programs.
Investment in the production facilities will see some 75 jobs safeguarded.
Investment in the new paint and finishing centre has been supported by a Scottish Enterprise Regional Selective Assistance grant of £450,000.
The company has also recently been awarded a £1m Scottish Enterprise Training Aid grant which supports the creation of 16 new jobs and safeguards 52.
Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, Keith Brown said: “Aerospace is one of our highest value sectors, playing a vital role in Scotland’s economy. That is why I am delighted to welcome Spirit’s latest £5m investment in the facility, underlining the achievements of the team and showing real commitment to developing the workforce and operations in Prestwick. I am sure this will see the company continue to go from strength to strength, increasing efficiency and competitiveness and opening up new markets. I wish the Spirit team every success moving forward.”
Scott McLarty, VP UK and Malaysia commented: “This new finishing centre allows us to better meet the needs of our customers as production rates increase for single aisle aircraft. We are grateful for the investment by Scottish Enterprise and their partnership with us. This finishing centre improves our competitiveness as a world-class manufacturer and presents us with new opportunities to continually improve the quality products we deliver for our customers.”
Adrian Gillespie, Managing Director of Growth Companies, Innovation and Infrastructure at Scottish Enterprise said: “We are delighted to support Spirit AeroSystems in the development of this new finishing centre. This significantly enhances capability at the site and demonstrates their continued commitment to developing their operations here in Scotland.”
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