Green light for £20m Boeing factory plans

Boeing’s plans for a £20m Sheffield factory haven taken off, with the council giving the aerospace giant the go-ahead.

Sheffield City Council approved the plans for a manufacturing and research building at Sheffield Business Park on Friday (28 July).

It will total 25,000 sq ft near the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing research centre, and create ‘at least’ 30 new jobs.

There it will manufacture complex parts for its 737 and 777 airliners.

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, cabinet member for business and investment at SCC, said: “We’re delighted that Boeing has chosen Sheffield as the location for their first factory in Europe, a decision that is testament to the great skills and research capability we have in the region.

“I’d also like to praise our planning team for the speedy way they have worked on this – Sheffield is a city that knows business and can handle the very biggest global companies.

“I’m looking forward to working with Boeing as one of its stated aims is to try and source significant amounts through the local supply chains – this is a tremendous opportunity for local companies and job creation.”

James Needham, senior operations manager for Boeing Sheffield, said: “We are pleased that Sheffield City Council has approved Boeing’s planning application for Boeing Sheffield. It will be located on a site adjacent to the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, co-founded with Boeing over a decade ago, in the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District in South Yorkshire.

“Boeing Sheffield will produce actuation systems for commercial aeroplanes, specifically the Next-Generation 737, 737 MAX and 777 and will employ more than 30 people when it opens in late 2018.

“We also plan to place additional actuation systems work into Boeing Portland in Oregon, in the United States which will further build on their demonstrated capabilities.

“We are grateful to the Sheffield and Rotherham communities for supporting our planning application and we look forward to drawing on local talent and suppliers to make Boeing Sheffield a success.”

Sir Nigel Knowles, chairman of the Sheffield City Region (SCR) Local Enterprise Partnership said: “This multi-million-pound investment is fantastic news and further endorses the region’s credentials as a global centre for innovation-inspired advanced manufacturing.

“A lot of people across the region have worked in partnership to help bring this investment about and it will play to the strengths of our supply chain and skilled workforce.”

Supercar manufacturer McLaren announced it was moving into Sheffield with a £50m investment in a factory at the AMRC, creating 200 jobs.