News: Tata Steel's South Yorkshire sites are quality

Tata Steel has secured an important new approval for the laboratory testing procedures at its Speciality Steels business in South Yorkshire from leading aircraft engine manufacturer General Electric (GE) Aviation.

The laboratory approval, called GE-S-400, was awarded after GE Aviation completed an audit of Tata Steel's laboratories in Rotherham and Stocksbridge.

GE Aviation is the latest aircraft engine maker to endorse Tata Steel's manufacturing capabilities. The company already has approvals from Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney and Snecma (part of SAFRAN group).

Richard Farnsworth, technology and development director for Tata Steel's Speciality Steels business, said: "Across the world there are currently 16,000 aircraft engines on order and GE Aviation and its partners will be making about two-thirds of them. This new laboratory approval will make it easier for our customers to use our steel products in the engines made by GE Aviation.

"This approval is the latest endorsement of Tata Steel's expertise from a leading aerospace manufacturer and will ensure that suppliers of GE Aviation can count on us for their steel requirements. We want to support the growing demand for aerospace steels, and this laboratory approval means our testing and certification now meets our customers' requirements."

Richard Bell, commercial director at Speciality Steels, added: "This approval marks a significant milestone in our development as a global aerospace supplier and coincides with the completion of an £6.5m investment project at the Stocksbridge site to install and commission new equipment to increase the manufacture of aerospace steels."

Tata Steel (formerly Corus) has been a leading manufacturer of aerospace steels for more than 60 years and supplies special steels to aerospace component manufacturers around the world from the company's South Yorkshire sites.

Investment in 2005 saw the Rotherham site at Aldwarke become the focus for steel making, casting and rolling of specialist steels. The steel is manufactured at the Rotherham site before undergoing further refining at the Stocksbridge plant or the Thrybergh Bar Mill to improve the quality.

The £6.5m investment in aerospace steel production will boost output of these steels by 30% and has led to the creation of eight new jobs. The scheme includes two new vacuum arc remelting (VAR) furnaces and specialist testing equipment, as well as a new ultrasonic immersion testing facility.

The steel, predominantly stainless and low alloy grades, is used in landing gear and aircraft engines including the landing gear of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which toured the UK last month.

Tata Steel website

Images: tatasteeleurope.com