EAST Lancashire contains some of the most respected aerospace firms in the UK. But the industry must adapt if it is to have a successful future and compete against foreign firms. We met the Nelson-based North West Aerospace Alliance to see what must be done.

EXPERTS from the largest aerospace firms in the world are to be teamed up with East Lancashire firms in a bid to safeguard the future of the area's hi-tech engineering.

The North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA) has teamed up with BAE Systems, Rolls Royce and Airbus to create the scheme, to be called the Supply Chain Excellence Programme - thought to be the first of its kind in the UK.

The move is part of a drive by the alliance, based in Nelson with 800 members across the region, to modernise aerospace engineering in the area and help firms compete with overseas markets.

The alliance hopes to help 45 firms, some of which will be based in East Lancashire, adapt and become world competitors in aerospace.

And the move is essential if local firms are to compete with manufacturers overseas capable of carrying out the work cheaper.

Martin Wright, executive director of the NWAA, said: "Although East Lancashire has traditionally been the home of aerospace engineering, aerospace is now a global business.

"It' is important to become a world competitive business so it's capable of doing business in a global market.

"If industry doesn't want to compare itself with overseas it's a huge mistake.

"Contracts all go where the best service, product and commercial price are. The companies that are successful are the ones who will transform themselves into a company capable of competing in different supply chains.

"Gone are the days when BAE Systems would accept 50 per cent on-time delivery. Those days are disappearing."

With firms including BAE Systems in Samlesbury and Rolls Royce, Barnoldswick, East Lancashire is at the centre of an industry worth an estimated £6.5billion to the North West. Mr Wright says companies need to adapt in three different ways, to deliver on schedule, with a quality product, and be innovative.