Dive Brief:
- South Korea-based aerospace and defense manufacturer Hanwha Aerospace will establish the headquarters for its international engine segment in Cheshire, Connecticut, the company announced last week.
- Hanwha has operated in Connecticut since 2019, and its international engine unit has 600 employees working in Connecticut and over 1,600 employees around the globe.
- The aerospace company has also committed to several future manufacturing investments, including over $3 million for sustainable energy generation and a new technology lab at its Cheshire facility.
Dive Insight:
Hanwha’s expansion in Connecticut is part of its strategy to foster long-term partnerships with aerospace OEMs on next-generation engines and create new capacity for commercial and military components, according to the press release. The new office adds to Hanwha’s current network of four locations in Connecticut, including its site in Cheshire, as well as in East Windsor, Newington and Glastonbury.
Hanwha’s prominent aerospace customers include Siemens, SpaceX, Rolls-Royce and Northrop Grumman.
The conglomerate committed to sustainable energy initiatives for the new development, including the installation of 1.8 megawatts of power using Qcells’ solar panels for its factories, which Hanwha owns.
"Through this strategic move, we will be able to better serve our key customers, expand our customer base, and solidify our position in the aerospace and defense industries. Furthermore, our expansion in Connecticut demonstrates our strong relationship with the state and our intention to strengthen these ties," Jae-iI Son, CEO and president of Hanwha Aerospace, said in a statement.
Hanwha Aerospace USA, a division of the company, also recently named Tim te Riele as CEO of its International Engine Business, after serving as COO of Hanwha’s Power Systems business.
Hanwha has plenty of high-profile aerospace competition in Connecticut. In 2014, U.S.-based Pratt and Whitney built a 425,000-square foot engineering facility in East Hartford as part of a $500 million agreement between conglomerate United Technologies and the state of Connecticut to expand its aerospace research, development and manufacturing facilities over the next five years.
