City Will Host Company Formed By Vought And Alenia North America

Two leading international aerostructures manufacturers that will supply Boeing with integrated fuselage structures for its 7E7 Dreamliner will locate in North Charleston, launching South Carolina into the global aeronautics industry.

Vought Aircraft Industries of Dallas will produce fuselage sections for the 7E7. Also, Vought and Alenia North America Inc. are forming a new company, Global Aeronautica, LLC. This company will join and integrate 7E7 fuselage sections from Vought, Alenia Aeronautica S.p.A. of Italy and other structural partners on the 7E7. Combined, the two facilities will occupy more than 600,000 square feet of space. Both the Vought and the Global Aeronautica integration facilities will be located on a 380-acre site at Charleston International Airport.

Global Aeronautica will integrate the majority of the 7E7 fuselage sections and install and test associated system elements. Alenia will build certain fuselage sections in Italy and deliver them to the Global Aeronautica facility for integration in North Charleston.

Most of the 7E7's fuselage will be integrated and tested in North Charleston.

About 645 jobs will be created, with total investment in excess of $560 million. Governor Mark Sanford said, "This announcement is all about creating another vibrant hub of economic activity in a globally-competitive, high-profile, high-growth industry--aerospace engineering. It's something that showcases our competitive advantages in terms of workforce, infrastructure and quality of life."

A key difference in the 7E7 program from traditional airplane manufacturing is the extensive application of durable, lightweight carbon graphite composite materials in the fuselage. "The groundbreaking use of composites has applications beyond the aerospace industry, and puts South Carolina on the cutting-edge of this knowledge-based technology," state Commerce Secretary Bob Faith said.

Boeing's new Large Cargo Freighters will fly shipments from the North Charleston integration facility to Everett, WA, for final assembly at Boeing.

Tom Risley, president and CEO of Vought, cited infrastructure, available land and skilled workers among reasons why Charleston was selected.

"We absolutely had to have access to long runways, a deepwater port and rail and that put Charleston in contention," he said. "Moreover, South Carolina's workforce has a splendid international reputation. But Governor Sanford and Secretary Faith advised us right from the beginning that they would not take 'no' for an answer. They were hands-on throughout our negotiations and convinced us that South Carolina is a business-friendly state."

FMI: www.boeing.com