Trans-Pacific Aerospace Co. Expands Bearing Lines

The China subsidiary of Trans-Pacific Aerospace Co. Inc. has completed a series of bearings that will give it SAE Aerospace Standard 81934 qualification upon approval by the U.S. Navy.

"These bearings were manufactured using the same techniques and procedures as the SAE-AS 81820 bearings that recently received verbal approval from NAVAIR," says Bill McKay, Trans-Pacific Aerospace CEO.

Godfrey Guangzhou Aerospace Bearings, a wholly owned foreign enterprise of Godfrey (China) Limited, Trans-Pacific Aerospace Company's 25%-owned subsidiary, is scheduled for a NAVAIR facility inspection early in 2013.

"With both SAE-AS81820 and SAE-AS81934 approval, Trans-Pacific Aerospace will be able to offer the commercial aerospace market a full spectrum of bearings," McKay adds.

Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's dominant aerospace contractor, forecasts China's commercial aircraft fleet size will more than triple to 6,309 by 2031, from 1,755 aircraft at the end of 2011. Bearings, such as those manufactured by Trans-Pacific Aerospace's China factory, are used throughout each aircraft.

In its China Market Outlook, AVIC also forecast that China's aviation market will grow steadily over the next 20 years, with passenger traffic rising an average of 8% a year and cargo to increase 9.5% annually.