GKN Aerospace announced it will relocate its North America additive manufacturing center from Tennessee to Texas as it grows additive capabilities in proximity to major customers.
The company develops and builds a variety of components, from airframe parts to engines and wiring systems. Its clients include Lockheed Martin, Gulfstream, Raytheon Technologies and other aerospace companies with a presence in Texas.
The move to the Lone Star Commerce Centre in Fort Worth, Texas includes a larger 100,000-square-foot facility. It will initially house R&D of additive technology for large-scale titanium airframe parts, according to the release.
“With proximity to many of our major customers in Texas and across the US, this is the right place for GKN Aerospace,” the company’s President of Defense Shawn Black said in a statement. “Along with partnership with [the] local government, we look forward to expanding our titanium additive manufacturing capabilities.”
The company said it plans to transform the site into its fourth Global Technology Center over the next few years, complementing similar centers in Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK. The centers aim to facilitate industry-wide collaboration on emerging technologies, such as Industry 4.0, additive manufacturing and hydrogen propulsion.
Fort Worth is providing grant funding for the project through its R&D credit program. The program allows the city to provide companies with grants equal to a percentage of their R&D costs.
“Fort Worth is proud to welcome GKN Aerospace and excited by the cutting-edge R&D that it will bring to the region,” the city’s Director of Economic Development Robert Sturns said. “This center of excellence builds on a strong cluster of Fort Worth-based firms who are innovating the future of aerospace and transportation manufacturing.”
