Flying high: former Broughton apprentice secures top job at Airbus’ new US assembly line

A former Broughton apprentice has secured the top job as Vice President and General Manager of Airbus’ newest final assembly line in the United States.

Daryl Taylor, 42, who was brought up in Wrexham was a certified engineering apprentice with Airbus in the UK from 1989 to 1994, and obtained his Higher National Diploma in Aeronautical Engineering at Kelsterton College, which is now part of Coleg Cambria.
Now a permanent US resident and currently living in Kansas with his wife and three children, his career has taken him to a number of high profile aerospace companies before securing the lead role with the company’s first ever manufacturing facility in the US.

Daryl will be responsible for ensuring the assembly and delivery of on-time, on-quality and on-cost aircraft to customers, he will oversee the operations of all necessary systems and support staff in the A320 Family production in Mobile, Alabama

He said:

“The Broughton plant holds fond memories for me as it’s where my career in aerospace started out. When I was serving my apprenticeship, I never imagined that more than two decades later, I’d be coming back to the company to take on a high profile role like this.

“I have always had strong connections to Airbus – my brother Anthony works in Customer Support at Broughton and my father worked at the plant too, so aerospace is very much in the family. And like many others in Airbus, the apprenticeship programme really set me on the right track to an interesting and successful career.”

Mr Taylor will spend a period of time training at the airplane manufacturer’s assembly facilities in Europe before returning to transition duties and assume operational oversight of the facility as the Vice President and General Manager.
Prior to Daryl’s move to Airbus he worked for GKN Aerospace where from 2013 until now he has been Vice President & General Manager over two facilities in the US, he has also worked for Bombardier Aerospace in Canada and Hawker Beechcraft Corporation in Wichita amongst many other high profile positions.

Construction of Airbus’ U.S. A320 Family final assembly line officially began on the 8th of April 2013 with a groundbreaking ceremony held at this production facility’s site in Mobile, Alabama:

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