Carbon ThreeSixty Hosts Will Stone MP to Discuss Regional Defence Growth, Advanced Manufacturing, and Skills Pipelines
CHIPPENHAM — Carbon ThreeSixty recently welcomed Will Stone MP (Swindon North) to its Chippenham manufacturing facility for an in-depth tour of our manufacturing operations and a strategic discussion on the future of Wiltshire’s advanced engineering and defence sectors.
The visit provided Mr Stone with a firsthand look at Carbon ThreeSixty’s specialised capabilities in designing and manufacturing advanced composite structures across high-tech sectors including defence, aerospace, automotive, and advanced manufacturing.
Connecting Regional Capabilities to Growing Defence Investment
A central focus of the meeting was the expanding footprint of defence and advanced manufacturing activity in and around nearby Swindon. As new defence investment and industrial projects flow into the region, Carbon ThreeSixty highlighted the vital role that established, local Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers can play in supporting major primes and regional growth.
During the facility tour, leadership showcased Carbon ThreeSixty’s automated production capabilities, demonstrating how the business transitions complex, low-volume development projects into repeat, higher-volume commercial manufacturing while maintaining rigorous aerospace-grade quality standards.
Addressing Industry Challenges: Resilience, Growth, and Delivery The visit highlighted both the complex operational pressures facing UK advanced manufacturers and the tangible progress being made to address them:
- Scaling Production & Automation: While transitioning from prototype development to high-rate output presents significant technical and financial demands, Carbon ThreeSixty are successfully bridging this gap through targeted investment in state-of-the-art automation.
- Workforce & Skills Pipelines: Despite widespread regional engineering shortages, industry-led training initiatives, robust local college partnerships, and expanded apprenticeship frameworks are successfully cultivating a resilient talent pipeline.
- SME Access & Infrastructure: Small-to-medium enterprises continue to face structural hurdles in securing funding, space, and defence contracts—yet targeted support programs are increasingly breaking down these barriers to integrate SMEs into national supply lines.
- Supply-Chain Resilience: Amid ongoing global vulnerabilities, strategic efforts to rebuild and bolster sovereign UK supply chains are steadily reducing industrial dependence on overseas raw materials and offshore manufacturing.
Building Stronger Regional Partnerships
Carbon ThreeSixty’s growth plans are helping bridge the gap between regional industry, educational institutions, and emerging defence clusters.
By highlighting Carbon ThreeSixty’s technical expertise, growth strategy, and role within the regional supply ecosystem, the visit further established the business as a primary supply-chain partner for defence, aerospace, and advanced-manufacturing operations in the South West.
Bringing Will Stone MP on site reinforces the broader regional momentum backed by local representative Sarah Gibson MP, highlighting a united cross-party effort to champion advanced manufacturing across Wiltshire and the South West. As the Member of Parliament for Chippenham, Sarah Gibson has consistently advocated for local high-tech industry, sustainable innovation, and green tech growth within the constituency. Will Stone’s visit—and his wider focus on national defence, technology, and regional skill development—complements Sarah’s ongoing work in Parliament to unlock funding, strengthen local supply chains, and secure high-skilled engineering jobs directly within our community.
