Safety solutions provider Survitec is to welcome Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of Liverpool City region, to its Birkenhead centre of excellence on November 30.
The mayor’s manifesto referenced his intention to make Liverpool a driver for economic prosperity, a hub for technological innovation and to receive international recognition for the city’s talent development; all pledges that Survitec is helping play its part in.
240 of its 3,000 global staff are based in Birkenhead, responsible for the design, test and manufacture of defence, aviation and maritime safety equipment. A new deployment suite and test centre was established in mid-2017 to accommodate an innovative cruise evacuation project and a number of new engineering roles were created, swelling the ranks further.
Survitec has a long and proud heritage in designing and manufacturing safety solutions for the marine, offshore, defence and aviation markets and many of these are made on site in Merseyside. With its products used by many of the world’s defence organisations and 40% of the world’s total maritime fleet, Survitec protects millions of service personnel, passengers and crews on a daily basis.
Its heritage for safety and survival equipment stretches back to before World War II and also includes some world firsts such as the Mae West life preserver which helped to protect the downed RAF pilots operating over the English Channel.
Survitec Birkenhead is also the only Design Approved Organisation Scheme (DAOS) approved company for the UK MOD. DAOS provides an independent assessment of the competence of defence contractors and service organisations involved in the design of aircraft systems, associated equipment and airborne explosive ordnance and armament equipment - it effectively ensures through life safety management for critical airborne life support equipment.
The Beaufort Road site is also the defence centre of excellence for the design, development and certification of critical life support equipment. Survitec’s product portfolio ranges from pilot flight equipment (including anti-G suits, pressure vests, life preservers and flight jackets) which supports the most advance fighter aircraft in the world for various air forces, to high altitude parachutist oxygen systems for UK special forces as well as submarine escape suits for global naval forces to ensure safe evacuation from stricken submarines at depths down to 198m.
Andrew Goodier, Birkenhead site MD for Survitec, said: “Survitec represents Britain on the global stage, but it is also a local success story that Merseyside can be justifiably proud of. Our Birkenhead Centre of Excellence is a world-class design and manufacturing facility and we looking forward to showing the mayor how equipment and devices that protect thousands of people on a daily basis are conceived, engineered, tested and produced within these four walls.
“We are always looking for ways to get involved in the local community – whether its sponsoring local sports teams or encouraging future generations to study STEM subjects in school and pursue a career in the safety and survival sector – but we look forward to discussing ways we can further strengthen these regional roots with the mayor.”
Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor, Liverpool City Region, said: “Advanced manufacturing is one of the key strengths of our city region and it is one of the privileges of my job that I am able to visit so many companies that are leading the way in their respective fields.”