The GE Aviation team in South Wales drew national attention yesterday when David Cameron chose the engine testing and servicing facility for his first public meeting — and his first official visit to Wales — since becoming Prime Minister. The facility at Nantgarw, which is about eight miles from the center of Cardiff, the capital of Wales, is regarded as a showcase example of a high tech industrial facility in the U.K. — and it’s one of only a few sites in the world that has the capability to service the new double-decker Airbus A380. Cameron, who chose GE as part of his message to encourage more private sector jobs, cited GE’s commitment to job creation and investing in young talent. The newly elected Prime Minister particularly praised the site’s apprenticeship program as a strong example for the rest of Wales and the U.K. to follow.
 Ready for take-off: “We do not do enough to support apprenticeships [in the UK]…,” Cameron told the crowd, “but if we can start saving on welfare we can recycle some of that money. We need to encourage people onto [such] training programs.” The GE site at Nantgarw, which has 1.2 million sq. ft of workshop space and employs a workforce of approximately 950 people, offers overhaul, repair and maintenance services on a range of engine product types and associated components. |
 Under the hood: The GE facility services engines that include the CFM56 (the world’s most popular aircraft engine), the GE90 (the world’s most powerful aircraft engine) and the GP7000 (the engine that powers the new Airbus A380). The A380 engines are made by Engine Alliance, a 50/50 joint venture of GE and Pratt & Whitney. CFM International is a 50/50 joint venture between GE and Snecma. |
 The jet set: As UK’s The Independent said of the visit: “They [GE] take in engines after every five years of service and they’re stripped, cleaned, fracture-tested, rebuilt and restored. It’s what general elections are supposed to do to governments,” adding with wink, and “here he comes, our young PM.” From left: Adrian Button, Managing Director of GE Aviation Engine Services in Wales; Cameron; Mark Elborne, CEO & President of GE UK, Ireland and Benelux; and Cheryl Gillan, Welsh secretary in the UK government. |
 High flying: At the GE Aviation site, it takes between 45-80 days for an engine to be completely overhauled depending on the size and scope of the project and the company handles about 350 engines in a year. |
* Read more GE Aviation stories on GE Reports
* Learn more about GE Aviation
* Read coverage about the visit in The Independent, The Guardian, and The BBC
