US aircraft component maker Spirit Aerosystems has signed an agreement with Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (OAK) to co-operate on parts manufacturing in Russia. Wichita, Kansas-based Spirit also opened an engineering consultancy branch in Moscow with Russian joint venture partner ProgressTech on 17 January.
Spirit-ProgressTech is in talks with OAK about introducing more efficient manufacturing techniques, and supplying composite components for future Russian civil aircraft projects.
OAK's deputy executive director, Valery Bezverkhny, says the corporation will work with Spirit on the MS-21 airliner project, as well as performing wing work on a new 130-seat variant of the Sukhoi Superjet regional airliner. "We are also looking at what OAK could do in supplying parts to Spirit," he adds.
OAK is particularly keen to exploit Spirit's expertise in lean manufacturing and its experience in developing advanced composites. "We have agreed with Spirit that UAC, working with ProgressTech, will integrate these techniques in our manufacturing processes," says Bezverkhny.
Spirit is sending engineers to Russia this month to determine which Russian plants and enterprises it might work with, and the Spirit-ProgressTech venture is developing a business plan with OAK, due to be completed this year.
"Once we understand their capabilities, we'll look forward to opportunities to place that work," says Spirit's senior vice-president, Robert Weiner. "We have around 250 engineers from Russia working with us on our part of the Boeing 787 programme. We have been very impressed with the depth of their skills and experience."
ProgressTech has been principally involved in aircraft engineering and production services, certification and consulting, and airport infrastructure work. It has worked on modifications to the Boeing 747-LCF and 737-900X as well as the Sukhoi SSJ-100.
Source: Flight International
