Marcus Fysh's Fellowship takes off with Finmeccanica
Above:
Marcus Fysh MP during a visit to the AW159 Wildcat final assembly line.
Marcus Fysh MP visited Finmeccanica Helicopters Division site in Yeovil, where many AgustaWestland products are designed, developed and manufactured, and saw an AW159 aircraft being built. These are the first to be designed in a completely digital environment, currently used by the Royal Navy and British Army.
Mr Fysh, MP for Yeovil, has begun an Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) Fellowship to gain a deeper understanding of the aerospace and defence sector. His visit to the plant based in Mr Fysh’s constituency, on Friday 8th January 2016, was his first of a three day programme with Finmeccanica.
In UK the Finmeccanica Helicopters Division designs, develops, manufactures and supports AgustaWestland helicopters for military and commercial markets around the world. It supports over 3200 employees in Yeovil and contributes over £150 million to suppliers in the South West.
During his visit, Mr Fysh found out more about operations through a tour of the facilities where he was able to meet some of the staff and was shown a digital design demonstration in engineering as well as transmission build and test facilities.
Commenting on the visit Mr Fysh said: “I have had a fascinating time at the Finmeccanica Yeovil site and I am extremely grateful to the staff for taking the time out of their day to show me around the site. I am very much looking forward to coming back here again next week.
“As the MP for Yeovil, I am keen to champion the local area. Being able to witness at first hand some of the vital manufacturing that happens here, encourages me to keep working hard in order to get the best possible deal for my constituents.”
Simon Jones, VP UK Government Business Unit, from the Finmeccanica Helicopters Division said: “It was a pleasure to show Marcus round our facilities today. He took a real interest in the work we do and it was wonderful to see such enthusiasm from our local MP. Maintaining a healthy relationship with Parliamentarians is vital in our sector and I thank the IPT for facilitating today’s visit and the work they do to help bridge the gap between Parliamentarians and business.”