Arconic, Pittsburgh, Pa., announces a multi-year contract with Airbus valued at approximately $1 billion, to supply aluminum sheet and plate for its highest-volume programs. This agreement is the first to include material from Arconic’s new state-of-the-art thick plate stretcher, which will come online in 2017 and enables production of the largest high-strength monolithic wing ribs in the industry. Located at the Davenport (Iowa) Works, the stretcher enhances the performance of thick aluminum and aluminum-lithium plate in wing ribs and fuselage frame material.
The stretching process reduces stress introduced into the plate as part of the manufacturing process, resulting in a part that is more easily machined and processed. For example, as composite wings get larger, one of the challenges is strength and stiffness, and the aluminum plate from this stretcher will enable Arconic to make wing ribs to address that issue. The addition will also enable Arconic to serve the existing plate market, while also providing airframe builders with the ability to make large wing ribs, fuselage frames, and bulkheads using Arconic thick plate.
“This large contract is a further important step to expand our leadership position in the aerospace industry,” says Klaus Kleinfeld, Chairman and CEO of Arconic. “We are proud that Airbus has chosen us to support its fastest growing, technologically advanced programs. Partnerships like this with industry leaders are core to our strategy, and this contract is another proof-point of the potential that lies in it. We continue to focus on developing products and technologies that take all of our aerospace customers to new heights.” Arconic’s most significant share gain in the contract is in the A320 family, which is Airbus’ highest growth program.
The multi-year agreement starts in January 2017 and makes Arconic sole supplier to Airbus for specific applications, including some wing, fuselage, and structural components. In addition to Arconic’s proprietary alloys – chosen for their combination of strength, corrosion resistance, density, and manufacturability – Airbus planes will feature Arconic plate products on every platform, in key applications such as wing ribs, fuselage frames, and other structural parts.
