An aerospace engineering solutions specialist has announced a major investment in a new centre in Gloucestershire.

Bowmill Engineering Ltd has bought eight machining centres from the Engineering Technology Group, including a high-volume plant at Ashchurch Business Centre, Alexandra Way in Tewkesbury.

Bowmill has been manufacturing A320 and A330 landing gear kits at its main factory in Dorset, where it operates a dedicated KANBAN facility for Airbus landing gear kit production, since 2002.

Now, to accommodate new contracts in Tewksbury, Bowmill has developed a new manufacturing unit that is largely a mirror image of its Poole facility.

The new investment in machines includes a second Chiron FZ15FX and the FZ12 Flexcell Uno robot with two further Nakamura's - an AS200 and AS200L - alongside five new Quaser MV154's.

Phase one of the new investment will see the Tewkesbury plant concentrate on A320 kits and phase two, which will accommodate components for other OEM's, will come on-line later in 2017.

The Bowmill project management team in Poole will embrace the Tewkesbury operation, which will also undertake on site de-burring, inspection, precision grinding and assembly.

Bowmill managing director Nick Epps said: "There has been a considerable increase in the build rates required of the kits due to the on-going success of the A320/A321neo and an upsurge in A330 popularity.

"Unusually for the aerospace sector, Bowmill is the single source global supplier of A320 kits but contract obligations necessitate we operate from two distinct manufacturing centres - hence the new Tewkesbury plant investment.

"Being close to our tier one customers - Safran Landing Systems and Triumph Actuation Systems UK Ltd - has been logistically important for KANBAN operations as is a supply of highly skilled personnel who will integrate into our business and be multi-disciplined in order to meet of our expectations.

"Customer demands in this sector are exceptional in terms of quality, delivery, support and cost.

"We are expected to deliver 'cost-downs' and these can predominantly be achieved by more efficient and advanced manufacturing."