North Carolina-based UTC Aerospace Systems in August unveiled its new 80, 000-square-foot manufacturing and nacelle assembly facility in Foley, where the company will add 260 new jobs, bringing its workforce up to 1, 000 employees. UTC is already Baldwin County’s largest industrial employer, even before the expansion. The campus is part of UTC Aerospace Systems’ Aerostructures business unit, which has nacelle design, OEM and maintenance sites around the world.
The new building, to be operational by year’s end, will feature automated material movement to index large nacelle component platforms down the assembly line, an overhead rail system with vacuum lifts and an automated painting system. Nacelles are the outer casings of airplane engines. The new building meets LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards and features a sanitation system that incorporates rainwater collection.
The new building, the third on the Foley site, adds to the existing 230, 000-square-foot original equipment plant and 210, 000-square-foot MRO facility. The Foley plant assembles nacelles for integration with the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan engine for a number of aircraft platforms, including the Airbus A320neo, Bombardier C Series, Mitsubishi Regional Jet and Embraer E-Jet E2.
Text by Dave Helms
