Spirit AeroSystems has 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 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.
The new McAlester center specializes in small- to medium-sized parts and will generate millions of dollars in new revenue for Spirit.
