Naval orders boost Scots shipyards

BAE Systems said its Scottish shipyards had an exceptionally successful year in naval orders.

"Clyde yards are celebrating one of their most successful years in generations following a series of major achievements in 2007. The yards have delivered strong performance on all programs and seen yet another year of increased investment, particularly in the workforce with the highest number of apprentices in generations starting their careers on the yards," the company said in a statement last week.

"This, combined with the (British) government announcement of the Future Aircraft Carriers and the continued Investors in People accreditation, has made the Clyde yards a key career choice for many people from across Scotland," BAE Systems said.

"Amongst other major achievements during 2007, BAE Systems has had two successful launches of the most advanced destroyers in the world and taken the first of class Type 45, HMS Daring, to sea for the first time, exceeding all expectations in her performance. In addition, the last of the four LSD(A) ships was delivered in August, nine weeks early, to 'the best standard seen for a long time' by the customer," the company said.

"Increased innovation has also been one of the key drivers for business improvement throughout 2007. Several employee led initiatives to save time and resources have been put into practice including vending machines for smaller items of equipment to reduce the amount of time it takes for production staff to get new equipment. Lead-free paint has also been introduced on the Type 45 Destroyer program, which has significantly reduced carbon emissions and landfill," BAE Systems said.

Source:RamblerNews