Boeing Suppliers Break Ground on $600 Million in East Coast Plants

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Vought Aircraft Industries Incorporated (Dallas, Texas) and Global Aeronautica LLC (Charleston, South Carolina), a joint venture between Vought and Alenia Aeronautica SpA of Rome, Italy, have broken ground on two plants in Charleston, South Carolina, where they will assemble the fuselage sections for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner passenger jet that will be assembled in Everett, Washington, beginning in late 2006.

Vought Aircraft Industries will produce fuselage sections, and Global Aeronautica will join and integrate 787 fuselage sections from Vought, Alenia North America, and other structural partners. The two companies combined are investing nearly $600 million in two plants and are expected to create about 645 jobs, about 250 with Global Aeronautica and the remaining with Vought.

Charleston had been a contender for the site of the final assembly for the Boeing 787, but Boeing's home state of Washington won the project. When it was made known that a potential Boeing supplier was in need of a site that met the same criteria as Boeing, Charleston knew it was once again a top contender, considering that it was one of the top sites for the Boeing project, and since most of the preliminary work was done. Greenville-based McCallum Sweeney Consulting assisted with the site selection process.

The two 300,000 square foot plants will be located on a 380-acre site at the Charleston International Airport. A ceremonial ground breaking ceremony took place in early February 2005, and construction is expected to get into full swing in May. BRPH Companies Incorporated of Melbourne, Florida, is responsible for engineering and design. Suitt Construction Company of Greenville, South Carolina, is the general contractor and it expects to have the construction complete by April of 2006.

Vought will produce two fuselage sections (fuselage sections 47 and 48), and Alenia Aeronautica will produce fuselage sections 44 and 46 at its plant in Italy. These sections will then be shipped to the Global Aeronautica integration plant to be assembled. Charleston's access to long runways, a deepwater port and rail systems reduce the logistical challenges of moving these large sections. The finished sections represent 60% of the 787 fuselage. They will be loaded onto modified Boeing 747’s and flown to Boeing's Everett, Washington plant for final assembly.

The Boeing 787 program represents Boeing's commitment to help further aircraft development and potentially lower costs for airlines. The 787 will utilize cutting edge technology and an airframe made almost entirely of composite materials.

The 787 has caused a ripple effect of investments worldwide. Boeing is working very closely with suppliers so that components will be delivered from supplier plants to Boeing's plant ready for final assembly. Production of the 787 will begin in 2006, with first flight expected in 2007 and certification, delivery, and entry into service by 2008.

Alenia Aeronautica, an Italian company with almost 100 years of experience in the aviation industry, is an industrial leader in aeronautical production, with products ranging from combat and transport aircraft to commercial aircraft, aerostructures, mission systems, and aircraft maintenance and modification. The company had revenues of approximately $1.58 billion in 2003 and has over 8,800 employees.

Vought Aircraft Industries is one of the world's largest independent suppliers of aerostructures. The company designs and manufactures major airframe structures such as wings, fuselage subassemblies, empennages, nacelles, spoilers, inboard trailing-edge flaps, and other components for prime manufacturers of aircraft. The company has worked on practically every Boeing jetliner in production, from the 737 to the 777. Vought has annual sales of approximately $1.2 billion and employs over 6,000 people in seven locations in the U.S.

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