New York, New York, and La Porte, Indiana – Lightweight metals company Alcoa has opened its state-of-the-art jet engine parts facility in La Porte, Indiana. The facility doubles Alcoa’s capacity in La Porte and provides new capabilities that broaden its reach in engines for large commercial aircraft. The new plant will meet increasing demand from makers of jet engines, growing Alcoa’s value-add business in aerospace.
“Innovation is at the heart of the La Porte expansion,” said Alcoa Chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld. “We combined some of the world’s best metallurgists, product engineers, and manufacturing experts to broaden our capabilities and deliver the highly advanced components our customers need to build jet engines at high volumes.”
The approximately $100 million, 320,000ft2 expansion, announced last year, enables Alcoa to manufacture single-piece structural parts – components that encase the rotating parts of an engine – that are nearly 60% larger than those already produced in La Porte. These new capabilities have broadened Alcoa’s reach into wide- and narrow-body aircraft engines. As an example, the new facility will supply structural components for the PurePower and other engines under a 10-year, $1.1 billion contract with Pratt & Whitney announced last year. The La Porte facility also is partnering with other major aerospace engine manufacturers and their partners to supply parts for next-generation engine programs.
The facility employs the latest in high-tech, advanced manufacturing equipment, including digital x-ray and blue light technology for enhanced quality assurance. It also 3D-prints resin patterns for metallic prototypes and uses automated casting furnaces with advanced controls to meet precise product specifications.
Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann and other state and local dignitaries joined Alcoa executives, employees, and aerospace customers to celebrate the opening of the plant which will create 329 jobs by 2019. The facility has already added 155 of those positions.
Alcoa employs approximately 3,200 people at three locations in Indiana.
This is Alcoa’s second plant opening in Indiana in just over a year. In October 2014, the company announced the opening of its $90 million greenfield state-of-the-art aluminum-lithium facility in Lafayette, Indiana. The Lafayette cast house can produce more than 20,000 metric tons (44 million pounds) of aluminum-lithium annually. Aircraft manufacturers are increasingly turning to lighter and stronger aluminum-lithium alloys, which are less expensive than composites and enable increased fuel efficiency and lower maintenance costs.
Source: Alcoa