Wimbledon’s iconic sliding roof, Formula 1 cars and naval aircraft carriers perform as well as they do today thanks to skills and expertise nurtured in Tewkesbury.
All of these three remarkable feats of engineering depend on the expertise of Moog - a world leader in design manufacturing and integration of control components and systems.
The US-based company, now in its 8th decade, has grown and developed its UK operations in Tewkesbury since 1979 when Moog relocated its facility from Cheltenham to the town’s Ashchurch Business Park.
Currently called Plant 1, the original building still houses the Aircraft Group business, which delivers cutting-edge technology focusing on stick to tail control systems for both civil and military aircraft.
Moog’s early success in Tewkesbury paved the way for the expansion of the Industrial Group, specialising in motion controls in a wide variety of markets, which moved production to a separate building on the same site in 1988.
Throughout the 1990s and beyond, the fortunes of both the Aircraft Group and the Industrial Group continued to flourish through their own research and development as well as acquisitions of complementary technology.
Today the Industrial Group operates in four main markets:
- Energy - both renewable and non-renewable power generation and oil and gas exploration
- Industrial automation - steel mills and metal forming
- Simulation and Test - flight simulation for pilot training
- Aerospace - fatigue testing and automotive testing as well as niche and other markets, including motorsport and service, the main focus of activities in Tewkesbury
The vibrancy and growth of these markets has meant that the Industrial Group eventually outgrew its original premises. Keen to stay in Tewkesbury to retain its skilled workforce and benefit from the area’s excellent transport links, the hunt was on for a site to build a new facility.
They didn’t have to go far! Land was located 500m down the road and last year a brand new purpose-built facility was opened, preparing the company for further growth in the years to come.
