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Flintshire, located in North East Wales, comprises of several towns and villages, rather than a single large economic centre. While there are pockets of deprivation, it is one of the most productive parts of Wales and shares its borders with Cheshire, Wrexham and Denbighshire, where there is good connectivity to wider regions and cities.

Traditionally, Flintshire was a hub for coal mining and iron and steel production, but has since diversified into more advanced forms of manufacturing, including for the aerospace and automotive industries. Manufacturing makes up a quarter of all jobs in Flintshire, which are seen as equally important for the overall Welsh economy.

 

Engineering economy in Flintshire

32,295

Employment

1,640


Businesses

£80,000


GVA per engineer

Engineering employment in Flintshire

Flintshire offers a range of employment opportunities and is often seen as having high economic growth potential due to its strategic location and skilled workforce.

  • Specialisms include: Aerospace, nuclear manufacturing, defence,
  • Employers include: Airbus, Raytheon, Tata Steel, Toyota, RAF and Marconi

 

These manufacturing strengths have attracted some major businesses, with a strong aerospace specialism thanks to companies like
Airbus and Raytheon located in the region. This has brought wider opportunities, with Flintshire having attracted Boccard’s first major nuclear manufacturing facility to the UK.


The heritage, a strong defence legacy (the RAF and Marconi), the presence of global businesses and Flintshire’s wider connectivity
means the area has been an attractive option for business. A primary example of this is Deeside, an extensive industrial area promoted as the “Northern Gateway”, a sought-after location for manufacturing and distribution businesses due to its quality of space and connections into England. Companies like Tata Steel and Toyota are located here, while the Welsh Government has recently invested £10 million to unlock further development on the site.

Thriving Engineering Enterprise

Flintshire falls into the category of "Thriving Engineering Enterprise". These places present an opportunity to leverage capacity across a wider city-region, where there is a combination of proximity to city-centre based R&D activity and ‘near city’ industry, in which several are highly specialised, but currently have lower-value engineering output.  Specific examples include South Cambridgeshire, Aberdeenshire and Bedfordshire.

Flintshire’s sector base aligns with surrounding economies, for example, businesses such as Vauxhall Motors in Liverpool, or JCB and Magellan Aerospace in Wrexham. Perhaps most indicative of why businesses thrive in Flintshire is the bigger picture – its neighbours are High-Flying Innovators, High-Volume Engineering Cities, High-Value, Hidden Gems and High-Performing, Big Business all of which create a unique, dynamic and accessible ecosystem in this part of the UK.