Minister highlights emerging technologies as gamechangers for aerospace industry

Opening the FINN Sessions at Farnborough Airshow today, Richard Harrington MP, Minister for Business and Industry, noted the importance of the digital technologies and aerospace 4.0 companies exhibiting at the show.

Harrington quoted Bob Dylan’s “times they are a changin’”. He said ideas that even very recently seemed like something from a science fiction film were on display here at Farnborough and being discussed and debated in the FINN Sessions. He highlighted technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, location-based services, cloud computing and more.

Government strategy focused on industry partnerships

Harrington said many of the companies specialising in this technology were small firms that visitors may not have heard of – but they should have, and they will by the end of this show. He added that while different governments have had different approaches to spending taxpayers’ money to support industry, he thought the government’s Industrial Strategy was the way forward. The strategy was focused on investment based on partnership with industry, rather than purely political decisions and aerospace was very much at the forefront.

“The government plays a small but important part, but the real work is done by the companies here – particularly those focusing on aerospace 4.0,” Harrington said.

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