MetLase lands contract to supply Boeing with tooling and fixtures

MetLase, a mechanical engineering specialist and joint venture between Rolls-Royce and Unipart, has secured a landmark contract with Boeing.The company has been announced as the tooling and fixture partner for Boeing’s new Sheffield facility, in a deal that will initially increase the workforce by 15%.

MetLase specialises in the manufacture of tooling, intelligent fixturing and components. The company will create lightweight and optimised machining fixtures to be used in the production of actuation system components.

This contract with Boeing, along with other new contracts, will mean a 70% annual increase in sales for the Sheffield based firm.

Steve Dunn, managing director at MetLase, said: “The long-term agreement with Boeing marks a new chapter for our business, as it will enable us to become an integral part of its future plans to develop intelligent and connected fixturing and tooling solutions,” explained.

MetLase says it will produce optimised fixtures, using the exact amount of material required, that are lighter than traditional alternatives, can be produced in weeks as opposed to months and can be continually improved to deliver the best possible performance.

Richard Gould, sales manager at MetLase, added: “The next phase is to develop intelligent fixtures that provide real time data on performance and will either alert engineers if an issue arises or correct it automatically.

“Industry 4.0, big data and smart manufacturing is crucial to the success of global manufacturing. Our aim is to create an intelligent fixturing system that tells the next production stage in the process exactly what has happened before.”