Boeing net contract worth $45m for Dorset-based AmSafe
Monday 3 October 2011 7:47 AM
A safety equipment company in Dorset has secured a US contract with Boeing worth $45m (£28.7m) to design and make barrier nets for its aircraft.
AmSafe, in Bridport, will manufacture the nets for the new Boeing KC-46A refuelling tanker, used by the US Air Force.
The tankers are used to refuel other planes mid-flight.
The nets, designed to restrain cargo up to 300 tonnes, are based on similar technology to seat belts.
This contract is a new venture for the Bridport site and will ensure job security for its 150 members of staff.
"Many years"
Neal McKeever, the general manager, said: "It's really important for us.
"It will result in sustaining work here on the Bridport site for many, many years to come."
Bridport has an 800-year history of rope and net making.
Nikki Zaiger, a production operative at the company, said: "It's nice to know that lots of people have a job for the future."
AmSafe will make hundreds of these safety nets over the next few years.
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