Boeing opens its first European manufacturing facility in south UK

World's largest plane maker Boeing has opened its first European manufacturing facility in south UK's Sheffield city.

The 40-million pound Boeing Sheffield plant near Rotherham has a total of 52 employees in its 6,200 square-metre factory.

The company will make components for 737 and 767 passenger jets at the new UK operation, with plans to produce thousands of parts each month which will be shipped to the US for assembly.

"We appreciate all the community support for Boeing's new advanced manufacturing factory in the UK. This is a fabulous example of how we are engaging global talent to provide greater value to our customers, "said Jenette Ramos, Boeing Senior Vice President of Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Operations.

"In Boeing Sheffield, we are building on longstanding relationships and the region's manufacturing expertise to enhance our production system and continue to connect, protect, explore and inspire aerospace innovation," Ramos said.

The new facility is situated alongside the University of Sheffield's Factory 2050, and is part of its Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC).

The company has also initiated a major new research programme with the AMRC to develop new manufacturing techniques that can be applied to the new Boeing Sheffield facility.

"We are leading the world in UK aerospace manufacturing and through our modern Industrial Strategy, we, along with industry have committed to invest 3.9 billion pounds in aerospace," said Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark.

"This has been a dream day for all of us. Twenty-years ago we went knocking on the doors of Boeing in St Louis believing that if we kissed enough frogs one day we would find a prince. Boeing is that prince," said AMRC Executive Director and founder Adrian Allen.

"It's excellent news that Boeing has opened its first European factory here in the Sheffield City Region," said Dan Jarvis, Mayor of the Sheffield City Region.