BROOKHOUSE Holdings is confident of gaining more than £2 million of new orders from the Farnborough International Airshow.

The Darwen-based firm is hoping to repeat its success of 1998 after visitors to this year's show got the chance to take a virtual tour of the company's manufacturing sites.

The computer-generated tour allowed visitors to see for themselves the range of facilities and resources at Brookhouse's sites at Darwen, Tameside and Huntingdon.

This includes expertise in the production of metal and composite tooling for composite components, in the manufacture and repair of composite components and in the precision engineering of tooling, jigs and fixtures. Examples of the company's expertise in action were shown including a metal mould tool for components for Eurofighter, a metal aircraft door for a military plane, a composite surveillance dome for helicopters and reconnaissance aircraft and a composite antenna dish for the telecommunications industry.

Brookhouse Holdings is the largest, independent composites manufacturing and assembly organisation in the UK.

It comprises five separate but complimentary companies. Brookhouse Patterns Ltd of Darwen, specialises in the design and manufacture of tools in a wide variety of materials for composite components.

Brookhouse Composites, also at Darwen, manufactures and repairs composite components and has particular expertise in the aerospace industry, with the capacity to handle large and complex assemblies, as well as minor details and interior trim panels and components.