Le Bourget's traditional rival in the airshow business is the focus of a new team here this week to promote the south-east of England as an attractive location for international aerospace companies.
Farnborough Aerospace Consortium (Hall 2, J12) and its partners, the South East of England Development Agency (SEEDA) and government export-stimulation body Trade Partners UK, have pooled their resources to host a selection of the region's 700 established aerospace businesses on their stand. These include such well known names as Dzus Fasteners, BAE Systems and QinetiQ.
Aerospace-related companies in the south-east region create an annual turnover of about £36 billion. FAC provides a focus for more than 1,000 aerospace and defence-related companies. It helps its members become more competitive through improved access to markets, sharing of best practice, access to current research and collective action.
Through the SEEDA-funded Lean Manufacturing Rapid Improvement Project, FAC is spearheading a drive for global competitiveness by the region's aerospace industry.
FAC executive director Ross Bradley says the Paris airshow is an opportunity to demonstrate the depth and diversity of aerospace and defence industrial capability in London and the south-east. "Many of the region's companies are already world-class, at the forefront of leading-edge technologies and supplying goods and services on a global scale. They have the flexible systems and organisation that permit effective partnering with enterprises large and small worldwide."
The partners plan to repeat their joint presence at next year's Farnborough airshow.
Source: Flight Daily News
