Welsh gas turbine maker gets wind of investment

A firm which makes parts for the aerospace and gas turbine industries has announced a £16m investment at its site in south Wales, creating 125 jobs.

The money will enable the Doncasters Group Ltd plant in Blaenavon, Torfaen, to undertake work in Wales previously sub-contracted to a special supplier.

Construction on purpose-built premises will begin in May and will create new and highly-skilled positions.

The company had considered locating the new facility in Poland, it said.

Doncasters currently employs 340 people in south Wales and the components produced there serves the needs of many of the world's leading gas turbine engine makers.

Eric J Lewis, chief executive of Doncasters, said: "We have facilities around the world but are particularly proud of our south Wales facility at Blaenavon, which has become the group's forging centre of excellence."

The project, which is being supported by the Welsh Assembly Government, is in addition to a previous investment of £4m for the development of the company's engine-ready components strategy.

Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones said the development of the plant had made it an important local employer and a flagship for the engineering sector in Wales as a whole.

"The aerospace industry plays a vital role in the Welsh economy, with more than 180 companies employing over 25,000 people," he said.

"This latest investment in the aerospace sector by this world-class company is a clear demonstration of the quality of the Welsh workforce and the reputation of Wales as a place to do high quality and highly skilled business."

The announcement comes just hours after another aerospace company based in Buckley, Flintshire said it would be investing £25m worth of contracts in the region.

Saygrove, which supplies key components to some of the biggest names in international aerospace, say the money will bring job security to its existing workforce and create a number of new highly-skilled posts.