Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc.

At A Glance

printer-friendly version (word document)

Vought is focused on being the global partner of choice for integrated major airframe structures.

Headquarters Information:
P.O. Box 655907, Dallas, TX 75265-5907
972-946-2011
www.voughtaircraft.com

President and CEO: Elmer Doty

2006 Revenues: Approximately $1.6 billion

Ownership: Privately held

Business: Manufactures wings, fuselage subassemblies, empennages, nacelles, thrust reversers, cabin structures, and other components for prime manufacturers of aircraft

Plants: Nine manufacturing sites in the United States: Brea, Calif.; Dallas; Everett, Wash.; Grand Prairie, Texas; Hawthorne, Calif.; Milledgeville, Ga.; Nashville, Tenn.; North Charleston, S.C.; and Stuart, Fla.

Primary customers: Boeing, Airbus, Gulfstream Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Bell Helicopter, Sikorsky and Cessna

Employment: Approximately 6,700

Employment by site:

• Brea: 105
• Dallas (Jefferson Street): 2,860
• Everett: 120
• Grand Prairie (Marshall Street): 705
• Hawthorne: 560
• Milledgeville: 600
• Nashville: 1,155
• North Charleston: 360
• Stuart: 185
• Offsite (corporate/other): 70

Products:

• Wings and wing components (major programs: Gulfstream G550/G500 and G450 business jets; Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle; Airbus A330/A340-300-500-600; Boeing 767; C-17 Globemaster III; Citation X business jet)
• Empennage/tail sections (major programs: C-17 Globemaster III; Boeing 747 and 767; V-22 Osprey; C-130J Hercules)
• Flight control surfaces (major programs: C-5 Galaxy; C-17 Globemaster III; V-22 Osprey; Boeing 777)
• Cabin structures (BLACK HAWK UH-60L, M, S)
• Fuselage panel assemblies (Boeing 747 and 787 aft fuselage one-piece barrels)
• Doors (major programs: Boeing 747 and 767 airplanes; V-22 Osprey ramp door)
• Nacelles (major programs: C-17 Globemaster III; Gulfstream G450 and Hawker 800 business jets; fan cowl doors and panels for Boeing 747, 767 and 777)

Product overview per site:

• Brea – Wing skins, spars, stringers, straps, chords, panels, frames and ribs for commercial and military aircraft
• Dallas – Jefferson Street facility: Tail section, nacelles and aerial refueling receptacle for C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft; wings for Global Hawk UAV; cabin structure for BLACK HAWK UH-60 variants; empennage, ramp and ramp door for the V-22 Osprey; wings for Gulfstream G550 and G500; flight control surfaces for the C-5 Galaxy; and machining and fabrication of parts and components for commercial and military aircraft
• Everett – Fuselage skins and doublers, bulkheads, wing spars, stringers, ribs, panels, pylons and machined components for commercial and military aircraft
• Grand Prairie – Marshall Street facility: Assembly of tail sections for Boeing 767 and 747; fuselage subassemblies, floor beams and pressurized doors for Boeing 747
• Hawthorne – Panels for Boeing 747 fuselage and 767 aft body
• Milledgeville – Composite component fabrication and assembly for commercial and military aircraft
• Nashville – Wing components for Airbus A330 and A340-300/500/600; wings for the Gulfstream G450 business jet; wing panels for the Citation X business jet; and empennage for the C-130J Hercules
• North Charleston -- 787 aft fuselage sections 47 and 48
• Stuart – Center wing section and components for Boeing 767; wing flaps for the Boeing 777, pressurized doors for Boeing 767 and 747; and nacelle components for the Hawker Beechcraft 800 and the Gulfstream G450.

Vought History At A Glance

Overview
The Vought name extends back to the military aircraft company founded by aviation pioneer, Chance Milton Vought. In 1917, with Birdseye B. Lewis, Vought organized the Lewis & Vought Corp. Among the more than 15,000 aircraft produced by Chance Vought’s legacy companies, some notable ones include the VE-7 Bluebird, the OS2U Kingfisher, the F4U Corsair, the F-8 Crusader, and the A-7 Corsair II.

Today, Vought Aircraft Industries is a major subcontracting partner on many commercial and military aircraft programs. The company is positioned as a Tier I Integrator – filling the gap between prime contractors and traditional subcontractors by providing large, complex aerostructures on a turnkey basis.

Ownership Changes
In 1992, Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) sells assets of its aircraft division to The Carlyle Group and Northrop Corp. Two years later, Northrop, following its acquisition of Grumman Corp., buys the remaining 51 percent of the Dallas and Grand Prairie operations from Carlyle. In July 2000, The Carlyle Group buys Northrop Grumman’s aerostructures business. The business is renamed Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc. and remains based in Dallas.

In July 2003, Vought Aircraft Industries purchases The Aerostructures Corp, with manufacturing sites in Nashville, Tenn.; Brea, Calif.; and Everett, Wash.

New Facility, Joint Venture to Support Boeing
In December 2004, Vought announced plans to form a joint venture with Alenia North America, Inc. in support of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner program. The joint venture, called Global Aeronautica, LLC, assembles, integrates, tests and applies surface finishes to more than 60 percent of the airplane’s fuselage prior to shipment to Boeing.

VVought selected Charleston International Airport as the location to produce its 787 structures – aft fuselage sections 47 and 48. The new 342,000 square-foot building is co-located with Global Aeronautica’s 334,000 square-foot integration facility at the airport located in North Charleston, S.C. Groundbreaking for these two facilities occurred in early 2005, with grand opening celebrations taking place in 2006 for Vought (June 8) and Global Aeronautica (Dec. 5). Vought delivered its first production ship set on May 10, 2007.

In March 2008, Vought signed an agreement with Boeing for the sale of its interest in Global Aeronautica. Closing will occur following receipt of regulatory approvals. The sale has no impact on the adjacent Vought facility.

Vought Site History At A Glance

Dallas-Area Facilities History

• Vought’s Jefferson Street plant at the Dallas Naval Air Station dates to World War II, when North American Aviation built P-51 fighters and B-24 bombers.
• In 1948, the plant is taken over by Chance Vought Co., which two decades later becomes part of Dallas-based LTV Corp. The Marshall Street plant opens in Grand Prairie in 1968. The company’s Dallas-area employment reaches an all-time high of 26,000 in 1970.
  
  Brea Facility History

• In 1979, Contour of California (CCI) is established in Brea when assets of Macrodyne’s Macro Division and NEA’s Certified Manufacturing are purchased and combined. In 1996 CCI is sold to The Carlyle Group, which merges the business with Contour Industries of Everett to form Contour Aerospace, Inc. In 1998, Carlyle merges Contour with The Aerostructures Corp. and operates unit as a division. Employment peaks in 1998 with approximately 560 people.

Everett Facility History

• Contour Industries in Everett, Wash., was founded in 1973 and initially machined skins, spars and stringers for the Boeing 707 and 727. In 1996 Contour Industries is sold to The Carlyle Group, which merges the business with Contour of California (CCI) of Brea to form Contour Aerospace, Inc. In 1998, Carlyle merges Contour with The Aerostructures Corp. and operates unit as a division. Employment peaks in 1998 with approximately 170 workers.

Hawthorne Facility History

• Began building 747 fuselage section in 1968 as part of former Northrop entity. Employment peaks in 1974-75 with approximately 2,500 people, when production reaches high of seven shipsets per month.

Milledgeville Facility History

• Operations began in 1975 under Grumman Corp. producing parts primarily for military aircraft. Employment peaks in both 1982 and 1998 at approximately 700.

Nashville Facility History

• Operations in Nashville can be traced back to 1939 when it was known as Stinson Aircraft Co. As a division of the Aviation Co., the third-largest producer of war materials during World War II, it was merged with Vultee in 1940 and merged again to form Consolidated Vultee Aircraft in 1943. In 1959, the Aviation Co. became Avco Corp. In 1966, the Nashville division was renamed Avco Aerostructures. In 1985, Avco Aerostructures became part of Textron Inc. as a result of their acquisition of Avco Corporation, and in 1987, the name changed to Textron Aerostructures. The Nashville facility was purchased in September 1996 by The Carlyle Group and renamed The Aerostructures Corp.
• Notable aircraft created by Aerostructures’ legacy companies include the Voyager/L-5 Sentinel, the SR-10 Reliant/UC-81, the Vultee Vengeance dive bomber, and the co-produced (with Lockheed) P-38 Lightning. Employment peaks in 1986 with approximately 7,600 people.

Stuart Facility History

• Opened in 1950 as a Grumman Corp. operation, initially used for flight test operations. Production programs for commercial and military aircraft began in 1963. In 2002, company moves production of commercial aircraft doors from Perry, Ga., to Stuart. Employment peaks in 1985 with approximately 1,200 workers.

05/08