Moog opens its doors for hi-tech tour

Moog Aircraft Group welcomed figures from the local business scene to its state-of-the-art 300,000 sq ft aerospace base at Valiant Way where 430 are employed and annual sales top £100 million.

Moog's value stream leader Mark Mayfield led the visitors, including Wolverhampton Council's Conservative group leader Councillor Wendy Thompson, on an hour-long tour of the complex, which includes a 150,000 sq ft machining shop.

Moog, whose history in the city dates back to the old Boulton Paul aircraft factory which was opened in 1938, produces flight control actuation systems for commercial and military aircraft – including the Eurofighter and Lockheed F-35 Lightning II – at Wolverhampton which is one of the giant US company's 100 sites around the globe.

It moved from the old factory in Wobaston Road to the site on the edge of the i54 business park six years ago

Site manager Peter Broadhead said: "We wanted to show some of the exciting thing happening in manufacturing in Wolverhampton and here at Moog.

"This tour is part of how we want to show our support for business in Wolverhampton.

"We have a great facility and it is great to be part of the i54."

He said Moog was proud of its highly skilled and highly motivated workforce in the city which supplies aircraft and rotorcraft makers around the world including Boeing and Airbus.

More than 40 businesses attended the Small Business, Big Impact seminar on Monday at the Black Country Growth Hub on the city's Science Park to hear about business planning, accessing finance, securing more sales and running digital marketing campaigns.

Most of the businesses attending were already on the council's AIM Business Support programme – a programme funded in part through the EU which gives local businesses access to a dedicated business adviser and a series of workshops.

Stuart Cox, owner of MediaLab and one of the speakers, said: “I only joined the AIM programme three months ago and have found the seminar tremendously useful.

"The event has given me a great insight the importance of a robust growth plans and innovative ways to secure new sales and to market my company. We provide a very secure cloud solution for certain companies such as accountants and, solicitors."

Last night saw the City of Wolverhampton skills dinner hosted by the University of Wolverhampton in the Chancellor's Hall where businesses were able to hear about the benefits of apprenticeships.

The council’s ambitious development plans, its commercial opportunities and its challenges, were also discussed yesterday by a panel of experts from across the West Midlands’ private and public sectors at a round table breakfast at KPMG, Birmingham, organised by the West Midlands Growth Company.

Wolverhampton Council managing director Tim Johnson said: “There was a lively discussion around the office, industrial and leisure opportunities in the City of Wolverhampton.

“We shared our plans for the city, got good feedback, and listened to the agents’ views on what we could do better to improve our position.

“It is all part of the frank dialogue we like to have with people close to the market to help shape our regeneration plans.”

*Full details of the business programme can be seen at www.investwolverhampton.com