By MARK LONGBOTTOM BRITISH Aerospace at Lostock have signed an agreement with a Japanese company to manufacture controllers for robots.

The robots, to be used in manufacturing, will be designed and developed by Kawazaki Heavy Industries (KHI) in Akashi.

The announcement follows a three-day visit by a delegation of Japanese businessmen to Bolton which the BEN first revealed last month.

Numerous attempts have been made to bring in contracts not related to the missile industry to secure a long-term future for the remaining workers at the Lostock factory.

They have all been unsuccessful until now. As reported in the BEN, there will be just 370 employees left at the plant next year.

Ten people at Lostock will be employed on the first robot controller contract to provide about 400 units for the European market.

And discussions are underway for the longer term which could eventually lead to BAe supplying robot controllers for the USA and worldwide markets.

BAe spokesman Charles Carr said the link up was "very good news" for Lostock.

A close relationship has been built up with Kawazaki since about four years ago when the Lostock plant installed a manufacturing system designed and built by the Japanese company.

Mr Carr said: "The Japanese philosophy is based very much around trust, loyalty and long term relationships, so we certainly aim to build on this for the future.

"Kawazaki have told us they have been very impressed with the way we have applied their manufacturing system to our work.

"But it is too early to say what will develop later."

He added that there were currently no other non-defence industry contracts in the pipe-line for Lostock.

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