The makers stumble
They were supposed to carry Britain aloft, but manufacturers have had a hard year
INSIDE the cavernous manufacturing facility of Castings Technology International (CTI), on the outskirts of Sheffield, a manager is giving an animated tour of the company’s latest automated techniques. His enthusiasm really takes wing, however, when he lifts a dirty plastic sheet on some scaffolding outside, for this is the site of what will be the country’s first titanium-casting furnace. Financed largely by the government, it will be the largest such in western Europe, taking aeroplane components weighing up to 500kg (1,100lb). The foundry should help to maintain Britain’s strength in its aerospace industry, the second-biggest in the world after America’s.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “The makers stumble”
From the December 19th 2015 edition
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