Great to be back in London and the U.K for the Farnborough International Airshow. We had a great delegation of public and private partners including Lieutenant Governor Heck, representatives of the Washington State Department of Commerce, Head of the UK Government Office in Seattle, Alaska Airlines, Boeing, ZeroAvia, and regional economic development partners.
After a welcoming reception at the The Shard and the National History Museum, our team engaged in one-on-one meetings with 15 international aerospace companies where we actively promoted the Greater Seattle region as a leading hub for aerospace, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing, with a strong emphasis on sustainable solutions.
Following Farnborough, a smaller delegation of Washington State representatives ventured to northwest England and Chester to further co-operation on trade, innovation and clean energy. Founded as a Roman fortress in the 1st century A.D., Chester is a charming city that also serves as a nexus to world-class aerospace innovation.
The first day began at Electroimpact, which is an aerospace automation company with an exceptional concentration of engineers working on a wide range of projects include complete automation assembly systems for commercial aircraft wings, riveting machines and tools for wing panel and fuselage assembly, advanced fiber placement machines, robotic assembly systems, and spacecraft handling equipment.
The group proceeded just up the road to Broughton and the Airbus factory where the majority of its commercia aircraft wings are made. Adjacent to Airbus, the group also had the opportunity to tour the Advance Manufacturing Research Center (AMRC) that specializes in carrying out world-leading research into advanced machining, manufacturing and materials for aerospace and other high-value manufacturing sectors.
The day concluded with a roundtable discussion at HyNet Northwest where the group learned more about the UK’s ambitious plans for industrial decarbonization and hydrogen production.
A special thanks to the head of the UK Government Office in Seattle, Robin Twyman, Lord Mayor Razia Daniels, Cheshire West and Chester Council, and so many others for hosting the delegation. Everyone was exceedingly warm and welcoming.
