FHI to make parts for Boeing’s 787

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RTI Lands Second Contract for Boeing 787 Dreamliner

 

By Cynthia Vinarsky

 

NILES, Ohio -- RTI international Metals, parent of RMI Titanium in Niles, has landed its second major contract to supply titanium parts and services for a Tier-1 partner in Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliner aircraft program.

 

The company today announced a new multi-year agreement with Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan to supply extruded and fully-machined value-added structural titanium components and services. Fuji will use the RTI parts to produce wing sections for Boeing’s three mid-sized 787 passenger jet models.

 

RTI said the agreement with Fuji, best known as the Japanese manufacturer of the Subaru automobile, is expected to generate $70 million in revenue over its term. Several RTI facilities, including RMI, will play a part in producing the finished titanium components to be used in wing sections of the new 787 Dreamliner.

 

Announcement of the Fuji deal comes less than a month after RTI’s Fabrication & Distribution Group revealed its $50 million, multi-year aircraft component contract with Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., also in Japan.

 

Under that agreement, reached in mid-March, RTI will supply 18 different extruded and machined structural titanium parts Kawasaki, also a Tier-1 partner in Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner program.

 

“This is our second major contract in the 787 program and illustrates our ability to support a global supply chain with our value-added products,” said Michael C. Wellham, an RTI senior vice president. “We are very pleased to be selected by FHI for this program and look forward to a long-term partnership with FHI in support of the 787 program.”

 

RTI has been working for the past five years to become a supplier of finished components, and the company said officials see the Fuji pact as ”another step forward in RTI’s strategy to supply higher value-added products and services.”

 

The company’s stock, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RTI, was selling in the $55 dollar range after news of the Fuji agreement was released this morning. The stock price over the past 52 weeks has ranged from a low of $19.50 last April to a high last week of $56.22.

 

According to the Boeing’s 787 Web site, the company is still completing the design phase of the 787 Dreamliner. Production is set to begin late this year, the first flight is planned for 2007 and deliveries will start in 2008.

 

Boeing’s news releases on the 787 say the aircraft will be more fuel efficient than previous models and will include improved passenger amenities. The Dreamliner is the first commercial jet ever with a primary structure composed of advanced composite materials, Boeing reports, including wings that combine titanium and graphite.

 

Visit RTI International at RTI International Metals

 

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I want a Legacy that can fly!

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Bernama.com Business July 03, 2006 09:52 AM Major Assembly Of First Boeing 787 Dreamliner Starts http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/images/friend.gif http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/images/print.gif

 

 

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 (Bernama) -- Boeing and its partner Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) last Friday celebrate the start of major assembly for the first 787 Dreamliner. FHI began to assemble the center wing section at its new factory in Handa, Japan, near Nagoya.

 

"When I look at this piece of structure coming together I know that we are seeing the future of our industry," said Mike Bair, vice president and general manager of the 787 program for Boeing. "We have introduced new materials, new processes, new tools and a new way of working together that is ushering in a new era in commercial aviation."

 

When it is completed, it will be flown from Japan to Charleston, S.C., where Global Aeronautica will integrate it with other 787 structures before sending it on to Everett, Wash.

 

Norihisa Matsuo, corporate executive vice president and president of FHI's Aerospace Company, said, "FHI has received extraordinary support from Boeing and other global partners. The start of major assembly is really the result of the effort of the entire team. We are very proud of achieving major assembly start of 787 programs as a milestone as scheduled today."

 

Scott Strode, vice president of Airplane Development and Production on the 787 program, said, "We at Boeing are so proud to share this day with FHI - a longtime, valuable partner. You understand our vision and share our commitment to excellence."

 

Scheduled for delivery beginning in 2008, the Dreamliner provides passengers with a better flying experience and operators with a more efficient commercial jetliner.

 

Because it uses 20 percent less fuel per passenger than similarly sized airplanes, the 787 is designed for the environment with lower emissions and quieter takeoffs and landings.

 

Inside the airplane, passengers will find cleaner air, bigger windows, more stowage space and improved lighting.

 

To date, 28 airlines have logged 403 orders and commitments worth more than $55 billion at current list prices since the 787 launch in April 2004, making the Dreamliner the most successful commercial airplane launch in history.

 

-- BERNAMA