The UK's newest industry cluster, the Midlands Aerospace Alliance (MAA), is pushing its members' capability to "power global aerospace".

Acting chief executive Dr Andrew Mair says the slogan is apt. He's surprised the Midlands and its aerospace engineering capabilities remain such "hidden gems".

"People know the region as the home of Rolls-Royce. But it's also home to more than 500 companies supplying aerospace directly," he says. Other major players in the region are Goodrich, Dunlop and Smiths.

Jigsaw

The MAA was launched at a conference on 12 June last year. Its funding comes from UK Regional Development Agencies (RDA). A chief executive is expected to be appointed next winter.

Mair sees it as the last big piece in the jigsaw of UK regional aerospace organisations.

The Midlands, Britain's industrial powerhouse, has developed broad engineering experience especially in actuation and control systems, power generation, hydraulics and pneumatics - much of it for the better-known motor industry but equally applied to aerospace.

Rejuvenation is transforming the industry from traditional mechanical to more electric and electronic systems and opening new global markets. A case in point is Tekdata of Stoke, a small manufacturer of sophisticated woven cables. It has just received NASA approval for cryogenic applications.

Tekdata managing director Martin Donnelly sees the alliance as a valuable two-way channel, providing the "large number of small companies" in the region with both a shop window for their capabilities and a listening point for opportunities. "There's a lot of talent in the Midlands," he says.

That talent is being put to work on the Airbus A380. A significant number of MAA member companies are in the supply chain. For example, Tekdata supplies Goodrich which supplies Rolls-Royce.

Andy Leather, Midlands-based vice-president, programmes and business development of Goodrich, sees the MAA as a "unique opportunity" for aerospace companies, irrespective of size, to share a common goal.

Research

"It will give smaller companies, which are critical to the success of larger companies such as Goodrich, the opportunity to benefit from -aerospace activities such as lean manufacturing and total quality initiatives."

As a forum, the MAA will allow the larger companies to pass on generic market information to their supply chain, to explain where their technology is going and how smaller companies can be involved.

Source: Flight Daily News

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