Dowty Propellers has inaugurated its new facility in Brockworth, England to provide a modern operation for the company’s development, manufacture and support of state-of-the-art propeller systems with all-composite blades.
Located just outside Gloucester at Brockworth’s Gloucester Business Park, this 183,000-ft² building brings together Dowty Propellers’ primary resources on one site: from the full production process for its propeller systems to the company’s administrative offices, design and engineering teams, as well as the Dowty Propellers Repair and Overhaul (DPRO) center – the U.K. arm of Dowty Propellers’ global support network.
It will incorporate technologies for the high-quality production, control, repair and in-service support of the company’s propeller systems, which are used on turboprop and turboshaft engines powering regional airliners and military airlifters, along with amphibious aircraft and marine hovercraft.
The Brockworth facility replaces Dowty Propellers’ original headquarters and blade manufacturing facility in Gloucester that was destroyed by fire in February 2015. To enable the continuation of operations, the company purchased new production equipment and created an interim blade manufacturing facility in the Gloucestershire area at Mitcheldean. This equipment is now being transferred from Mitcheldean into the new building at Brockworth, which is to become fully operational in the first half of 2020.
Additionally, the U.K. DPRO center – which has previously operated at a separate location in Gloucester – will now be integrated into the new Brockworth facility, providing additional synergy with the company’s design engineers, production specialists and support teams. There also are DPRO centers in Sterling, Virginia, U.S.A., and Brisbane, Australia, as well as a team of field service engineers that are deployed around the world for field repairs.
