Thompson Aero Seating’s Dynamic Test Facility in Banbridge, County Down, has placed third overall among the most impactful small projects in Europe, in the Investment Impact Awards from the Financial Times Group.

The Investment Impact Awards is a new ranking from fDi Intelligence, part of FT Locations and the Financial Times Group, which assesses foreign direct investment projects with the most transformative potential in locations across Europe. The awards focus on individual projects and their contributions — such as innovation, job creation and sustainability — to the locations in which they are planned or operational.

Thompson has been recognised for the development of its Dynamic Test Facility (DTF), which is used to simulate crash conditions and certify aircraft seating for safety and regulatory compliance.

Keith Anderson, CEO at Thompson Aero Seating, says: “We are delighted that our DTF has been recognised as such a significant investment in the whole of Europe. What is really pleasing is that the awards acknowledge the meaningful difference this investment makes locally as well as across the continent – in terms of not only innovation and development but also job creation and positive benefits to the community.”

The DTF is first of its kind on the island of Ireland, representing a total investment of £7.5 million and further enhancing the region’s reputation as a centre of excellence in aerospace testing and certification. It was built with the support of Invest NI, which played a significant role in securing the investment and provided £750,000 of capital.

Commercial success
The value of the DTF is tangible in the commercial success of Thompson’s latest business-class seating innovation, the VantageNOVA. This has recently secured multiple world-leading airline customers, contributing to Thompson’s total orderbook of over £1.2 billion. These new contracts would not have been possible without the DTF.

Job creation
Since it was first opened in 2023, the DTF immediately created the need for new high-value roles across engineering, design, testing and operations, and it continues to do so.

Cost savings
The DTF enables full in-house certification, reducing lead times by at least six weeks and delivering estimated annual cost savings of £1.6 million, with benefits that ripple across the supply chain and support sector-wide productivity.

Sustainability
In terms of sustainability, the project contributes to the UK’s Destination Net Zero goals by supporting R&D into lightweight seating, which reduces fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions. Localising testing also cuts the carbon footprint associated with overseas outsourcing.

Keith Anderson says: “We are celebrating Thompson stamping its mark on Europe’s economic future and also the very real impact our DTF is having at a local and regional level in Northern Ireland.”