Liverpool aerospace manufacturer to invest £1.35m
Liverpool aerospace supplier ASG King & Fowler is investing £1.35m in a new production line to serve global aircraft manufacturer Airbus. Tony McDonough reports
A Liverpool-based supplier to aerospace giant Airbus is to invest £1.35m in a new production line.
ASG King & Fowler dates back to 1887 and is based just north of Liverpool city centre. In 2020 it was acquired by Stockport-based ASG Group. This is a collection of eight aerospace suppliers across the UK, Germany and India.
Employing more than 340 people, the £45m-turnover group specialises in the design, development, and production of aircraft parts, components, and systems.
That deal, for an undisclosed sum, safeguarded all 59 jobs at the Liverpool site and saw and was followed by a £140,000 investment in new plant.
In Liverpool ASG King & Fowler specialise in the treatment of surfaces for aerospace components. This latest investment focuses on the production of tartaric sulphuric anodising (TSA).
TSA is typically used as a pre-treatment to aerospace and defence paint systems and as an alternative to chromic acid anodising. Airbus, which operates a huge wing-making plant in Deeside, is about to be subject to new regulations around chromium plating.
This new plant helps ASG King & Fowler stay ahead of these changes and will also create extra production capacity. Being manufactured by Jacquet Weston Engineering, the new TSA line will be on site in 14 weeks.
Managing director Gareth Richards said: “At ASG King & Fowler, we are dedicated to not only meeting but exceeding industry expectations.
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“This substantial investment in our new TSA line underscores our commitment to environmental responsibility, as well as our focus on enhancing productivity and efficiency.
“We are proud to embrace this change and remain a leading force in the aerospace manufacturing industry.”
With this addition, the company will have greater capacity, improved efficiency, and the ability to allocate skilled labour to other critical tasks.