US-based aerostructure manufacturer Spirit AeroSystems has unveiled plans to invest $1bn over the next five years at its facility in Wichita, Kansas.
The investment will be made as part of a major expansion and growth plan of the company.
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The company also expects to create 1,000 new jobs, which will mostly comprise skilled sheet metal mechanics, composite technicians and computer numerical control (CNC) machine operators.
It is also expected to boost the economy of Wichita in particular and the state of Kansas as a whole.
The proposed expansion is driven by various factors, including the increasing production rates on current commercial aircraft programmes, growth in Spirit’s Fabrication and Defense businesses, and other new business pursuits.
Spirit AeroSystems president and CEO Tom Gentile said: “Wichita is our headquarters and the hub of our operations.
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By GlobalData“Our workforce is unparalleled, with generations of aircraft employees who have worked in our plant. And now, future generations will have those same opportunities.”
Spirit has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Wichita City Council and Sedgwick County to jointly invest in a new building to be built on the north side of the company’s existing property in Wichita.
The MoU is expected to be materialised once Wichita City Council and the Sedgwick County Commission approve the deal.
With operations in the US, UK, France and Malaysia, Spirit is mainly involved in the production of fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components for aircraft.
