An incredible new £30m helicopter factory is all set to be opened in Yeovil, the home of British Helicopters. The new hub is representative of one of the UK’s leading aerospace companies – Leonardo’s – wider investment in skills and infrastructure around the UK.
Yeovil, a town in Somerset, is home to one of the largest helicopter manufacturing facilities in Europe, where cutting-edge helicopters are designed, built, and serviced. The town plays a critical role in supplying the UK Ministry of Defence and international customers with advanced rotary-wing aircraft.
The Hub will transform how Leonardo maintains its helicopters, offering enhanced service levels to both UK and international customers. In collaboration with Kuehne+Nagel, Leonardo developed this high-tech facility, leveraging their expertise in green technologies to ensure sustainability is integrated into the site.
Leonardo marked the opening of a new Single Site Logistics Hub for helicopter maintenance in Yeovil by inviting community leaders to the event.
The new, state-of-the-art facility replaces eight outdated buildings and is expected to become a sustainability landmark in the South West.
More than 25,000 cubic metres of demolition material were repurposed in the building’s construction, further emphasising its green credentials.
The facility, supported by cutting-edge digital technologies, iscapable of distributing parts worldwide, ensuring Leonardo’s fleet remains operational.
The company employs 3,330 skilled workers at its Yeovil site, including 430 engineers specialising in helicopter design, and supports a nationwide supply chain that sustains over 12,000 jobs.
Mr Mark Langrill, DE&S Director Helicopters, said: “We welcome Leonardo Helicopters’ development of their new Logistics Hub and applaud their focus on sustainable design.
“Such investments in skills and infrastructure are an important means of contributing to regional prosperity and, in this instance of improving support to some of the UK Armed Forces’ helicopter fleets, procured by DE&S, which play an essential role in defending our national interests.”
Adam Clarke, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters UK said: “We are proud to open this impressive new Single Site Logistics Hub here in Yeovil, the Home of British Helicopters.”
He added: “This strategically-located facility will be able to draw on the region’s robust supply chain and skilled workforce and, by incorporating the latest digital and automation technologies, will enable us to offer an even better maintenance service for our UK and international customers.”
“Following four years of partnership with Leonardo Helicopters UK, we’re delighted that the single-site fulfilment centre has been officially opened,” said Murray Gascoyne, National Contract Logistics Director at Kuehne+Nagel.
He added: “Our shared strategic vision has come to fruition. This has been founded on, and testament to, our unwavering commitment to sustainability, the development of people skills and the power of collaboration. We are very proud to be part of the Yeovil community.”