$50 Million Investment in Helicopter Manufacturing Venture, UAE

The Dh183m manufacturing facility will be based in Umm Al Quwain, an emirate in the UAE.

Quest Investment is pumping Dh183 million ($50 million) into the new enterprise. A new manufacturing plant will be developed on a 40,000 sq m plot in Umm Al Quwain, according to Yousuf Al Ansari, CEO of the new Quest Helicopters.

The helicopters will retail at $2.95 million each, and are aimed at the growing needs of VIPs, security agencies, police surveillance units, emergency response and humanitarian teams as well as the oil field supplies market in the region.

The prototype helicopters were designed by Ukraine's Volodymyr Udvenko and will feature a new series of engines built in the Ukraine. "The long life airframes have been engineered for robust operations, and feature a raft of cutting-edge technologies. These include an all-new primary fly-by-wire control system, a distinctive ejectable crew and passenger safety capsule cabin and a telemetry downlink maintenance monitoring system," said a Volodymyr Udvenko spokesperson.

Al Ansari stated, "We want to bring in the latest technology available in the market that will help create value to the overall aviation industry in the region and create employment for young Emiratis."

The Quest AVQ series will be the first civil helicopters to be manufactured in the UAE, and is currently in the design and development stage. Al Ansari anticipates that, "The helicopter will enter into the flight testing process from 2013 and we expect it to enter into commercial production by 2014."

The plant in Umm Al Quwain will have the facilities to assemble 50 helicopters a year, and the project is expected to generate new jobs from the end of 2012. It is one of many aviation industry ventures that are establishing UAE as an aviation centre in the Middle East.

According to Ajay Chaukulkar, chief executive of Sharjah-based Aerostar, "The opportunities in the region's aviation industry are numerous and there is no reason why investors should not take advantage of them by investing in aviation companies."

Rolls-Royce - 3 New Advanced Manufacturing Plants, Rotherham

Plans for three new Rolls-Royce factories in the Waverley Advanced Manufacturing Plant have been approved. These plans are a major boost for the local area that has a particular strength in advanced manufacturing. The investment is a step towards securing continued growth in manufacturing throughout the United Kingdom, a cornerstone policy in the Government’s plans to stimulate the economy.

The first factory is expected to start production in early 2013 “This is obviously only the first step in Rolls-Royce’s exciting plans, and sets in motion the development of yet another piece of the Advanced Manufacturing Park jigsaw,” said Councilor Gerard Smith.

Rolls-Royce does not seem to have been affected by the economic crisis; the group’s half-yearly report for 2011 showed a 28% increase in underlying profit before tax, with £8.7 bn of new orders creating a record order book for the company of £61.4 bn. The group's long-term strategy aims to double its total revenue in the next decade, through organic growth.

Nuclear

One of the factories on the site will be used to assemble power vessels for the next generation of UK nuclear power stations. Should plans proceed smoothly, it is expected that the first of the new vessels will be delivered in 2015. Detailed proposals regarding the facility, which is part of the company’s ‘Project PoWer’ initiative, are to be received in early 2012. 

As well as providing nuclear power to the UK, Rolls-Royce has operations worldwide, and was awarded a 20 year contract with the Dukovany nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic in February this year.

Aerospace

A second factory has been earmarked for the production of fan blades for the aerospace sector, as a sister factory to one currently in operation in Derby. At the height of the recession in 2009, the aerospace sector achieved growth of 5.4%, and currently employs approximately 100,000 people across the UK. The resilience of this industry is based primarily upon its export market, and if the UK’s current market share can be maintained, the industry would be worth an estimated £352 bn over the next 20 years, should growth targets be reached.

Both the nuclear and aerospace industries have also proven to be resistant to the effects of the recession, at a time when there is talk of a possible ‘double dip’. These two factories alone are expected to create up to 360 jobs. The third plant may also be used by Rolls-Royce or let to another occupier, possibly one of the firm’s suppliers.

Denis MacShane, MP for Rotherham added; "The decision of Rolls Royce to come to Rotherham and invest in the Advanced Manufacturing Park facility is a payback for the investment in creating this unique facility over the last ten years. It opens a new chapter in South Yorkshire's history as one of the world's engineering centres, and is good news for a new generation of workers."