SHORT Brothers HAS unveiled ambitious plans to expand its aerospace-composites business in an effort to keep pace with demand for the engine nacelles and the other aircraft components it manufactures.
The Belfast, UK-based company, part of Bombardier, is investing £5.1 million ($7.81 million) in a new autoclave and clean room, water-jet cutting machinery, paint-spray booth and non-destructive test equipment.
Shorts makes composite airframe components for the Canadair Regional Jet, Learjet 45 and Lockheed Martin C-130, and engine nacelles for the International Aero Engines V2500, General Electric CF34 and TFE731 and AlliedSignal LF507.
It is also involved in the manufacture of nacelles for some variants of the Rolls-Royce RB.211, the Trent 700, BMW Rolls-Royce BR710 and Allison AE3007 power plants as part of its International Nacelle Systems marketing joint venture with Hurel-Dubois.
Source: Flight International
