Asset aims for the sky with Airbus factory extension

Asset International Ltd., a manufacturer of Weholite HDPE large diameter plastic pipes, has supplied a network of surface water drainage pipework to facilitate the extension of the Airbus factory at Broughton, Flintshire.

Airbus currently employs around 6,000 people at its Broughton factory, where the wings for the entire family of Airbus commercial aircraft are made and, with a growing order book, production is set to increase.

Airbus initiated an extension of the current factory facilities in order to manage the increased traffic from the vast Beluga cargo planes, which fly in wing panels from other facilities in Europe and the finished wings of the A320, A330 and A350 aircraft to the final assembly lines in Toulouse and Hamburg.

In collaboration with contractor Interserve and Tier Consult, Asset International delivered a complete network of surface water drainage pipework, using the Weholite 1,400mm diameter HDPE pipe to serve the extended site, including all of the associated manholes and connections. In all over 800 metres of Weholite pipework has been installed at the new site.

Darren Williams, Technical Sales Engineer at Asset International, said: “Weholite HDPE pipes are a perfect fit for the Airbus site due to the speed and ease of installation, extremely important on a particularly time and security sensitive site. HDPE also brings substantial benefits, both from a durability and ecological point of view, in comparison to traditional concrete or other modular systems.”

The new extension comes just two years after the £400 million Airbus Broughton North Factory site was opened by Prime Minister David Cameron in 2011. It is now one of the largest manufacturing facilities in the UK.