The state of one of Wales’s aerospace industry is profiled is a recently published study by the IWA, in partnership with Cardiff and Glamorgan universities. The study is available on this website. Around 150 firms serve aerospace markets, employing more than 20,000 people and generating about £2bn per year. It is a high gross added value industry and high levels of employee compensation.
The survey reviewed Welsh aerospace’s prospects for the future in key areas: manufacturing; maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO); and research, development and training (RDT). Across the three areas the Welsh aerospace industry faces familiar challenges: lower-cost competition abroad and the adaptation towards new technology (composite manufacturing materials). Each sector has its own challenges, also. The research was commissioned by the Assembly Government Economic Research Advisory Panel and follows an earlier project, Auditing Welsh Industry: A Clusters-based Approach (2006).
