Case Study - STG Aerospace
Norfolk: the hi-tech base for a global brand that’s really flying
From humble beginnings, STG Aerospace now supplies some of the world’s most innovative aircraft safety systems – without ever feeling the need to fly the Norfolk nest.
The Swaffham-based company has found all the expertise it needs within Norfolk to help maintain nine successive years of growth, with RAF Marham, the engineering cluster around Lotus at Hethel, and the University of East Anglia all nearby.
Thanks to its ingenious use of photo luminescent (PL) material to create light-emitting emergency exit guidance – without the need for electricity – STG Aerospace has led the market for more than a decade in this safety system you hope you never have to use!
The SafTGlo strips, which store light from a short period of charging from normal aircraft cabin lighting to enable them to glow for up to 16 hours in darkness, are placed on the cabin floor to guide passengers to emergency exits should the need arise.
Because they don’t use electricity they remove the possibility of electrical component failures – if it’s there, it works.
Chief executive Peter Stokes joined the company in 1998 having worked in the aviation industry in Dorset. His remit was to turn a cottage business with a good idea it into the truly global business it has now become. Since then, the company has gone from strength to strength, with about 70 per cent market share translating to more than 5000 aircraft operated by more than 300 airlines kitted out with SafTGlo.
Peter said he quickly realised he had made the right choice in moving to Norfolk.
“It’s a great part of the world to live in and we love it here. We are a global company and we do travel around the world a lot so Norwich is a very good hub for us – we can fly to Schiphol and easily be anywhere in the world,” he added.
“We have also drawn on the wealth of relevant expertise in the county, particularly in relation to engineering and aviation, and that’s been a massive benefit for us.”
A keen sailor, Peter said the county lent itself to the perfect work/life balance: “Norfolk gives us the ideal base for our business, but also enables us to live in a beautiful part of the country and really enjoy our surroundings.”
Having brilliantly dealt with lighting the aircraft’s floor, in 2007 STG perfected a revolutionary wireless technology, and a new way to power emergency lighting, to improve reliability and virtually remove all maintenance requirements for emergency lighting and power systems.
Airlines across the globe have already placed orders for WEPPS (Wireless Emergency Primary Power System), an emergency battery system with built-in monitoring and diagnostic capability which could save commercial airlines more than $1 billion annually on spares and maintenance.
Multiple awards have followed the company’s commercial success, including the British Aerospace innovation award, the ‘green’ Crystal Cabin Award in 2008, three Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, and a Boeing Supplier Excellence Award in 2008.
Fact file: Why STG Aerospace?
- Pioneering SafTGlo luminescent floorpath marking systems fitted to more than 5000 aircraft operated by more than 300 airlines worldwide
- Wireless technology has revolutionised aircraft overhead emergency lighting systems, potentially saving the industry $1billion annually
- Nine successive years of growth and multiple awards for innovation and business success
- Clients include Boeing, British Airways and Embraer
Fact file: Why Norfolk?
- Take advantage of the high quality of life
- Available skill base with proximity to RAF bases, the engineering cluster around Hethel, and the UEA
- Comparatively low overheads
