EDM flying high with airline deal

A company with its roots firmly in Oldham specialising in training and simulation equipment for the aerospace and other transport industries has landed two lucrative contracts with Chinese airlines worth more than £400,000.

EDM Ltd, now based in Newton Heath having relocated last year from Hollinwood, employs more than 100 staff and has a turnover of around £10 million.

They have won orders to supply China Southern and Xiamen Airlines with cabin crew training equipment flight simulators to train crew for the new Boeing 787 and B737–800 series.

The simulators are exact reproductions of the actual aircraft and are used to ensure flight crews are trained and certified in the aircraft’s normal and emergency procedures, dealing with the complex equipment used on the aeroplanes before embarking on commercial flights.

There are only a handful of companies worldwide who manufacture this kind of equipment — significantly, EDM is one of only two companies currently with an agreement for access to the top secret Boeing to manufacture the new B787 simulators. EDM consulted UK Trade and Investment in order to get its China partnership off the ground, working closely with Strategic Alliance Service adviser Julian Birchett and Jessica Zhang, manager of the China Britain Business Council (CBBC) in the North-West.

UK Trade and Investment and CBBC advised EDM on how to protect their intellectual property and facilitated legal support for contractual documents.

They also helped draft a confidentiality agreement, assisted with visa applications and discussed the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding with Feibao.

Mike Bonney, head of sales and business development at EDM, said: “We began looking at the market in China three years ago but our early attempts to get into the airline business proved very difficult.

“Although we had the technology, and a high quality product, we didn’t have the right contacts or advice.

“A new agent in China representing companies in the airline industry finally got our plans off the ground.”