VT Group Plans Output Boost If River Class Contract Comes To Hampshire

5.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 11th Oct 2004

David Chidgey MP and Chris Huhne MEP at VT Group

Hampshire parliamentarians David Chidgey and Chris Huhne were briefed this week on the growth and prospects of Hedge End-based VT Group, one of Hampshire's most successful big companies.

Eastleigh-based VT Group has doubled its staff numbers and trebled its turnover in the last five years, reaching £671 million last year, as it has built on its traditional warship-building and repair expertise with a expansion into training and other support services for governments.

Eastleigh MP David Chidgey and Hampshire MEP Chris Huhne heard that VT is likely to be able to boost production at its new ship-building facility if it wins a further order for River class offshore patrol vessels.

Mr Chidgey and Mr Huhne are pictured here in front of part of the Type 45 frigate assembly. VT is building the front third and the tall tower-like masts to peer over the horizon to forestall missile attacks.

The River class ships would be the first full ships to be built in the new plant, which incorporates state of the art manufacturing on moveable pallets so that the work can be more easily standardised and specialised.

The VT Group is one of Britain's biggest 250 companies quoted on the stock exchange, and has expanded beyond its traditional ship and boat building businesses to include support services such as maintaining military bases in the USA and providing education and training in the UK.

"The Type 45 is now clearly taking shape and is going to be a real innovation in ship design and capability" said Mr Huhne.

"VT has an impressive track record of growth and technological innovation and excellence" said David Chidgey. "As an engineer by background, I am always delighted to see a British engineering company succeed in a highly competitive marketplace by making world-beating products".