GKN opens new engineering centre at Filton site
GKN Aerospace has opened a new engineering and technology centre at its UK site in Filton near Bristol.
Aimed at progressing future wing structure design and manufacture, the new facility will integrate with the company's other established engineering centres in the Isle of Wight and US to progress product design and analysis and advance new manufacturing technologies and techniques.
GKN's technical director Rich Oldfield said: "Bristol is now established as the heart of our global wing structures manufacturing activity. With the National Composites Centre close by and strong links into local academic research programmes, this is the ideal base for developing our engineering capability."
Oldfield said the centre, which will be home to more than 100 engineers, marked an important stage in the global re-shaping of engineering at GKN. "Our intention is to continue to grow the design-and-build capability based at each of our engineering centres in the coming years," he commented.
GKN also announced today that it has been selected to provide Bell Helicopter with key metal and composite structures across the new 525 Relentless helicopter fuselage.
The work package includes composite and aluminium fuselage panels and structural parts installed in the cockpit, cabin and tailboom. Manufacture will begin in late 2012 with initial deliveries scheduled for 2013 and continuing through to the end of 2015.