Jack Sergeant MS, Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership
On 2nd October 2024, I undertook a two-day visit to Toulouse in France to attend the 25th anniversary of the ADS Toulouse event and support the relationship between Airbus UK and Airbus France.
I was honoured to be able to attend the annual high-profile networking event and members’ reception held by ADS Toulouse to help UK/Welsh companies wishing to access opportunities in the French civil aerospace market.
Aerospace is a UK success story that continues to put Wales on a global stage. The industry is going through a period of intense, disruptive change, moving from aluminium to composite materials, and the transition from kerosene to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and hydrogen.
Airbus is one of the largest employers in Wales with over 5,500 employees in North and South Wales and contributes an estimated £311 million to Wales’s GDP.
Demand for commercial aircraft remains very strong, and Airbus’ order backlog of 8,500 aircraft underpins the production targets for all their programmes. However, Airbus is facing some persistent and specific supply chain issues mainly in engines, aerostructures and cabin equipment.
Given the challenging external geopolitical environment and the ongoing issues in the supply chain, it is fundamental that Airbus focusses on its core business and supply chain to stabilise their operating environment. They are investing heavily to be able to maintain competitiveness and increase production to meet customer demand.
On the first day of the event, I was taken by a Welsh company (Metrology Engineering Services) to Sogeclair’s manufacturing and test facilities. Sogeclair are a global design and engineering services business supplying Airbus and Transport for Wales. This informative visit gave me a greater insight into the intricacies of the issues faced by an Airbus Tier 1 supplier.
That evening, I spoke at an event organised by ADS Toulouse to welcome the delegations from Wales, Northern Ireland and the Northwest of England.
On the second day, I was given a tour of the Airbus Toulouse factory, seeing first hand the process that A321 wings go through on their way to final assembly. I heard from the Airbus Senior Management team about the issues they are facing and how Government and Industry can collaborate to help ease these.
I attended an industry roundtable, arranged by ADS, jointly held with the Minister of State Department of Energy & Net Zero and Department of Business & Trade, Sarah Jones, at which I heard first-hand the biggest challenges facing aerospace supply chain companies across the UK.
I met with Veronique Bardelman, CEO of Safran UK, to discuss the specific issues facing their Welsh facilities as well as opportunities to assist the growth of their UK and Welsh footprint.
That evening, I was honoured to speak alongside Minister Sarah Jones, Sabine Klauke CTO Airbus and David Lockwood CEO Babcock at the ADS Toulouse Annual Reception.