WICHITA, Kan., May 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit
AeroSystems [NYSE: SPR] today broke ground on its state-of-the-art
Global Digital Logistics Center that will increase storage capacity
and part retrieval efficiency at its Wichita site. The new 150,000 square foot
facility is being funded through a collaboration agreement between
Spirit, the City of Wichita and
Sedgwick County. When complete,
the 70-foot-tall building will serve as a smart distribution center
to better manage the rapid storage and retrieval of parts used in
the assembly of large aerostructures.
The Global Digital Logistics Center is designed to decrease flow
time, improve inventory accuracy and increase storage capacity for
Spirit's Wichita operations. The
company currently fabricates about 38,000 unique parts daily at its
Wichita site in addition to more
than 100,000 unique parts sourced from suppliers.
"The Global Digital Logistics Center supports our strategy to
improve production flow time by more accurately managing inventory
and ensuring the right parts are at the right place at the right
time," said Spirit President and CEO Tom
Gentile. "As we increase production rates and expand our
operations in defense and fabrication, we will improve and expand
our capacity to rapidly build complex aerostructures for high-rate
production programs at a competitive cost. We are grateful to the
City of Wichita and Sedgwick County for their collaboration with
us on this expansion project."
The new logistics center is expected to be complete in early
2019 and will utilize a smart storage and retrieval system with
racks nearly 70 feet tall. Spirit will consolidate 500,000 square
feet in three logistics buildings into the new logistics center by
taking advantage of vertical space. The repurposed space allows for
expansion of fabrication and manufacturing support areas as well as
the creation of a Raw Material Cutting Center of Excellence for
Spirit and its regional suppliers.
"Deploying the latest technology for parts management and
retrieval will help our teams increase their productivity," said
Spirit Senior Vice President of Fabrication and Supply Chain
Ron Rabe. "This new logistics center
will allow us to inventory millions of parts and finished goods and
distribute them faster with greater accuracy. We have amazing
employees who fabricate and assemble large aerospace structures,
and this new Global Digital Logistics Center will enable our teams
to achieve even greater efficiencies."
The new state-of-the-art facility will store and distribute tens
of thousands of self-manufactured and purchased parts and
subassemblies to support Spirit's growing business.
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