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These aluminum components may not be visible to passengers, but they are vital to keeping planes flying. At Gardner Aerospace's Derby facility, parts are made for major airplane companies, including Airbus, Boeing, and Rolls-Royce. A network of sites stretching from Britain to Poland, India, and China produce around 2 and 1/2 million components every year. Since 2017, the company has been owned by a Chinese parent group based in Sichuan province, while maintaining its manufacturing roots in the UK. Aerospace is a global industry. Uh as such, supply chains are completely intertwined. There is production all over the world, and at the end, an aircraft doesn't fly if there's a part missing. So, you need to have a clearly intertwined supply chain.
This is our 16-m loading which operates on a gantry system. Components made here range from small fittings to structures for wings measuring up to 16 m. Facilities across different countries allow the company to serve customers more efficiently. While Europe is now largely a replacement market for aircraft, industry growth is increasingly being driven by Asia. Aerospace or aviation has enjoyed growth rates be far beyond GDP over the last 30 years. Then that is expected to grow beyond GDP. Uh and most of this growth comes from Asia.
This is where we want to capture market. China's homegrown aircraft manufacturer, Comac, could be an important new source of business for the company. We will look to improve and increase our relationship with the likes of Comac. Um we're looking in particular at the next generation that's currently in development of aircraft, and we will have the space to both support in engineering discussions, and also manufacturing conversations, and stocking in our Chengdu facility. But China's importance goes beyond simply making a market for aircraft parts.
Gardner says the strong relationship between Britain and China creates endless opportunities. We can all learn from each other. It's It's really emerging in China. They have a different view. There's a cultural difference as well, a different way of looking at things. And I think that the cross exchange between what we are doing in UK and what China is doing and how they look at how the industry can develop. I think that's that's very important. For Gardner Aerospace, China is not simply part of its supply chain. It's a major market and a key driver for future growth. As ministers from both sides seek to deepen economic engagement, companies like this one will be watching to see if warmer relations translate into new
opportunities. Jen Coate, CGTN, Derby.
