This significant development will see the company specialising in the manufacture of components using glass fibre wet lay-up, glass fibre repair, composite repair and resin infusion manufacture. The £100,000 facility includes fully extracted lay-up and trimming rooms, and a dedicated storage facility. This investment will enable the PPA Group to develop its carbon fibre manufacturing and repair capabilities for all variations of composite materials, including glass fibre, carbon fibre and aramid fibre. The company has been fulfilling increased orders of aviation-grade composite components including fairing panels, ducting, tray assemblies and interior components from a range of aerospace approved resins and cloths. The PPA Group is several months into a knowledge transfer partnership with the University of Manchester and a post graduate associate, which is investigating and developing new innovations specifically in composite repair whilst exploring new techniques in composite design and manufacture. This development will see PPA provide a quality service to Airbus and BAE Systems. Work can be carried out on composites for new commercial, military and executive aircrafts, alongside the maintenance of existing fleet. Steve Moon, the PPA Group’s operations manager, said: “This investment will put the PPA Group at the forefront of composite repair and manufacture. With the emergence of new technologies and the rising trend in the use of composite materials, we made this substantial investment to ensure we remain a competitive and dynamic organisation. We are looking forward to realising a good return on this expenditure, which will inevitably result in the growth of our sales and workforce.” The manufacturing team has resulted in a 10% increase in the workforce with the potential to expand personnel by a further 15% in the near future. www.ppa-group.com
