Boeing and Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) announced today at the Farnborough International Airshow that they will deepen and build upon their successful long-term partnership with a renewed focus on six pillars: supply chain, defence exports, capability development, skills and diversity, sustainability, and innovation.
Since Boeing and HMG announced the initiative to advance growth and prosperity in the UK at the 2016 show, Boeing has:
- Increased its number of UK employees to 3,000
- Invested more than £300 million in infrastructure across the UK, including opening its first factory in Europe in Sheffield and expanding its defence and civil support activities.
- Spent £2 billion in the UK supply chain each year and increased bid opportunities for UK suppliers
- Funded startups and research and development, including opening its Metallics Research Centre as part of the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Manufacturing Institute Scotland and becoming the founding member of the University of Sheffield’s Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre
- Delivered dozens of new commercial and defence aircraft quickly, connecting and protecting British citizens today and for decades to come
- Opened an Office of UK Industrial Capability in the United States to increase export opportunities by connecting Boeing with UK suppliers
“The defence sector drives prosperity, supports jobs and builds skills right across the UK,” said Minister for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin MP. “Our refreshed partnership with Boeing is another exciting example of industry and government working together to drive focus on innovation, skills, resilience and competitive advantage.”
The new set of principles is organised around six pillars. Boeing and HMG will explore opportunities across supply chain, defence exports, capability development, skills and diversity, sustainability, and innovation.
“Boeing’s story in the UK in the last six years is one of growth and partnership, with new aircraft, new research and new employees, and today we are defining the shape of that growth for years to come,” said Sir Martin Donnelly, president of Boeing Europe and managing director of Boeing in the UK and Ireland. “The UK is recognised across Boeing as an important market, supplier base and source of innovation, and we look forward to creating together a more sustainable and prosperous future.”
The original initiative, announced at the Farnborough International Airshow in 2016, stemmed from the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review. Boeing and HMG decided together to revisit the partnership this year because of the achievement of many of the aims in the original document and because the global pandemic has remade aerospace and defence. The new set of principles also reflects the requirements set forth in the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy.
“Look no further than the last few years to understand Boeing’s commitment to the UK,” said Anna Keeling, vice president and managing director of Boeing Defence UK. “During a global pandemic we delivered new capabilities to the armed forces, developed new ways of maintaining and supporting them, and hired hundreds of new employees, from graduates to experienced engineers.”
