- Arcadia Aerospace President and CEO gives a guided tour of the newly opened Tallassee facility Wednesday morning. A ribbon-cutting was held to announce the company’s arrival.
Tallassee-based Arcadia Aerospace Industries, LLC has signed a long-term partnership agreement with GKN Aerospace to provide Nondestructive Inspection of large composite airframe components.
“We have had a partnership with GKN since early 2009,” said Arcadia Aerospace Industries Vice President and Director of Operations, Jeff Phillips, Tuesday afternoon. “(Opening the Tallassee facility) cements that relationship. And by moving closer, we are providing more opportunities for new programs and to expand the programs we already offer.”
According to a press release celebrating the partnership, Arcadia “is developing a new facility strategically located in proximity to GKN Aerospace in Tallassee.
“Having a relationship (like Arcadia has with GKN) is special to us,” said Arcadia Aerospace Industries President and CEO Charles Bushman. “Our culture is such that we value long-term relationships. And it’s been spcial building this relationship with GKN. In all of our messages with them, we take pride and value their partnership and we express that to our employees.”
Once completed, the facility will be Nadcap accredited for Nondestructive Inspection in addition to a FAA approved repair facility servicing both metal and composite manufacturers.”
“We’re having a dedication of that facility,” said Bushman. “This is for the community and the employees as a way to say thank you for their work and welcome.”
To celebrate this accomplishment, the Tallassee Industrial Development Board hosted a ribbon-cutting this morning at the Arcadia Aerospace Facility.
“The partnership with GKN strengthens our commitment to the aerospace industry to provide value added solutions to the increasingly more complex structures emerging,” said Bushman “Together, we have unique synergies to provide the industry with unparalleled composite expertise in large structures fabrication and inspection.”
According to Bushman, the facility isn’t quite operational yet, but should be within the next two weeks.
Phillips said nine employees are already working at the Tallassee facility and one or two more positions could be created by the end of the year.
“We will need to increase the number of NDT inspectors and will add some professional and non-professional jobs,” said Phillips. “But that need is going to be based on the number of programs we have ready By the end of next year, we could add as many as 10 depending on how quickly the programs get up and running.”
Arcadia has worked with the Tallassee IDB and the Elmore County Economic Development Association on building a new NDT facility.
ECEDA Director Leisa Finley added that Arcadia Aerospace’s total capital investment in Tallassee is $7 million, not counting payroll.
“Starting with 15 jobs, there initial annual payroll will be $1.2 million,” said Finley. “Over years 2, 3 and 4 (and potentially up to 30 more jobs) there is a projected $3.6 million economic impact on the City of Tallassee and Elmore County.”
Bushman is appreciative of the efforts the IDB and ECEDA has gone to in order for his company to land in Tallassee.
“The local community here has been so welcoming and I’m extremely impressed with the local Industrial Development Board and their initiative to bring business in and the quickness in which the built the buildings for u , the county and the state. We couldn’t be happier.”
According to a July press release, announcing the Arcadia / GKN Aerospace partnership: “The advanced facility will house the nation’s largest, multiple technology, automated robotic inspection system. The system designed and fabricated by Arcadia’s engineering team boasts the ability to provide internal defect and external dimensional inspections of components to 90-feet in length and 14-feet in width.”
The inspection system delivers a total of 19 axes of motion working in high-speed synchronization. The system provides conventional ultrasonic, linear array, Thermographic and digital x-ray inspection technologies for the inspection of internal defects. In additiona, according to the release, “the new facility will house AAI’s Next Generation of automated overhead gantry inspection systems capable of handling round product over 14-feet in diameter.”
Bushman added that part of their investment is in technology and automated machinery.
“We are building one machine that will be the largest of its kind in the United States,” said Bushman. “That will be stationed here in Tallassee.”