LYNNWOOD — Airbus Group has turned for help to a 100-person engineering firm in Lynnwood as it ramps up A320 production to breakneck rates.
The European airplane maker tapped Nova-Tech Engineering to design, build and install a new final assembly line for its popular single-aisle airplane in Hamburg, Germany.
A person familiar with the project confirmed the deal. He spoke on the condition of anonymity out of concern that publicly discussing the matter could cost him his job. The contract amount could not be determined Thursday; Airbus and Nova-Tech declined to comment.
The two companies discussed possible A320 work during a meeting at last year’s Paris Air Show, Bill Bigot, Nova-Tech’s vice president of business development, told The Herald in an interview last June.
Airbus and Boeing have been fiercely fighting to sell more single-aisle airplanes for years. The efficient, flexible, utilitatarian airplanes — Boeing’s 737 and Airbus’ A320 — are the workhorses of commercial aviation around the world, and make up most of the new airplane deliveries.
In 2015, Airbus delivered 491 A320s — 77 percent of all deliveries. Boeing had similar numbers. It delivered 495 737s — 66 percent of all deliveries. All 737s come out of Boeing’s Renton plant, which has three final assembly lines.
Single-aisle airplanes make up a huge portion of both companies’ order backlog — 76 percent of Boeing’s 5,795 unfilled orders and 82 percent of Airbus’ 6,787 order backlog.
The rivals are racing to raise production rates to meet demand. In 2010, Airbus made 36 A320s a month. Last year, it turned out 42 a month. That rate is going to 44 by March, 46 by mid-year and 60 by mid-2019. Six years ago, Boeing made 31.5 737s a month. The rate now is 42 a month and rising — to 47 in 2017, 52 the following year, and likely to 60 or 63 after that.
Airbus churns out A320s from its seven final assembly lines: one in Tianjin, China; one in Mobile, Alabama; two in Toulouse, France; and three in Hamburg, Germany.
The new line in Hamburg is critical to Airbus’ planned rate increases.
Nova-Tech is opening a Hamburg office to support its work on the new line, which is slated to start assembling airplanes in July 2017, the person familiar with the project said.
The work is a prime opportunity for Nova-Tech to get new business in Europe. The firm has delivered assembly machines and tooling before, but the A320 project will be bigger than any similar work it’s previously delivered.
In November, Brazilian planemaker Embraer named Nova-Tech its top supplier in 2015.
Dan Catchpole: 425-339-3454; dcatchpole@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @dcatchpole.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
