WICHITA, Kan., April 4, 2018 /CNW/ -- Spirit AeroSystems
[NYSE: SPR] today unveiled its second center of excellence focusing
on the fabrication of complex commercial and military aircraft
parts. The facility, located at the company's McAlester, Okla., site, will support current
customer contracts while accommodating new work in the global
aerostructures market.
"We announced plans last year to create a three- and four-axis
fabrication center of excellence to support the growth of our
fabrication capabilities to a billion-dollar business for the
company," said Spirit President and CEO Tom
Gentile. "Rather than moving work to Mexico, we imported 18 new machines from a
shop in Juarez, Mexico. We began
producing parts for customers in McAlester last year, and the site has capacity
to bring in more machines as demand increases."
"The opening of Spirit's center of excellence in McAlester is further evidence that
Oklahoma is one of the world's
premier destinations for the aerospace and defense industries,"
said Oklahoma Governor
Mary Fallin. "We are appreciative of
Spirit's confidence in our state and the industry, and are excited
for the opportunities this will create for Oklahomans. This is
another example that our commitment to pro-business policies is
resulting in a wide variety of jobs for our state."
The purchase and installation of new equipment began in 2017,
augmenting the company's existing capabilities as one of the
world's largest fabricators of aerospace parts. Since production
began, more than half of the 1,000 parts scheduled for production
in McAlester have been through
their first article inspection.
"Along with the new five-axis center of excellence that was
unveiled in Wichita in February,
the center in McAlester further
solidifies our competitive advantage for fabrication work," said
Spirit Senior Vice President of Global Fabrication Kevin Matthies.
The new McAlester center
specializes in small- to medium-sized parts and will generate
millions of dollars in new revenue for Spirit.
"We're thrilled to bring this work into our McAlester site," said Bill Brown, vice president of Oklahoma
Operations for Spirit. "Our collaboration with local, regional and
national UAW leadership helped make this expansion possible."
Spirit's overall fabrication capability spans more than 2.6
million square feet and produces more than 38,000 parts daily.
Spirit offers customers a wide range of solutions including
machining, skin and sheet metal fabrication. The Wichita site leverages one of the largest
automated lines in the world to reliably offer high-volume and
high-velocity chemical processing.
On the web: www.spiritaero.com
On Twitter: @SpiritAero
About Spirit AeroSystems
Spirit AeroSystems
designs and builds aerostructures for both commercial and defense
customers. With headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, Spirit operates sites in the
U.S., U.K., France and Malaysia. The company's
core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing
components for the world's premier aircraft. Spirit
AeroSystems focuses on affordable, innovative composite
and aluminum manufacturing solutions to support customers around
the globe. More information is available
at www.spiritaero.com.
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SOURCE Spirit AeroSystems Inc.