"The new facility will further enable our growth for industry-leading aerospace technologies and innovations," said Spirit president and CEO Tom Gentile. "The next generation of aircraft doesn't exist yet, and that's what we're concentrating on. Our engineers are inventing the future of flight."
The new centre will include a training area and will grow the company's research and development footprint in Prestwick from approximately 8,000ft2 to 70,000ft2. Construction will begin later this year, and the company expects to celebrate a grand opening in 2019.
"This innovation centre of excellence will feature the kind of specialised design and research work that we are known for," said John Pilla, Spirit's senior vice president and chief technology officer. "It's another instance of Spirit's unique capabilities that makes us the partner of choice for the world's aerospace companies."
Spirit AeroSystems is one of the largest manufacturers of aerostructures in the world with design and build capabilities for both commercial and defence customers. The Prestwick site manufactures metallic and composite wing components, such as the leading- and trailing-edges and spoilers for the Airbus A320 family.
