Post date: Jun 28, 2013 2:21:3 PM
MOBILE, Alabama – Airbus has awarded Honeywell a $37 million powerhouse operation contract for the A320 family aircraft final assembly line under construction at Mobile’s Brookley Aeroplex. The project, slated to begin in the fall and be completed in mid-2014, will be managed from the Birmingham branch of Golden Valley, Minn.-based Honeywell Building Solutions.
Honeywell has also committed to hiring several Mobile- and Alabama-based contractors expected to employ more than 50 tradespeople during peak construction.
Honeywell will be responsible for designing, building, operating and maintaining the powerhouse facility that will supply all utilities to the new assembly line, including power distribution and backup generation; heating; cooling; chilled and drinking water; and sewage handling. The facility also will provide compressed air and house the 116-acre campus’ building management and fire protection systems.
In addition, the powerhouse facility will be constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certification standards through which Honeywell will help the site meet Airbus' corporate sustainability goals, including reducing overall energy consumption by 2.5 percent and CO2 emissions by 5 percent annually by 2020.
"Complex, large-scale manufacturing plants require precise support to keep assembly rolling and costs manageable," said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions. "Our work for Airbus is a prime example of Honeywell's expertise in helping organizations design, build and maintain technologies that ensure energy and operational excellence for the long term." Specifically, Honeywell will manage and maintain the facility through a 10-year service agreement. Five operators will provide day-to-day support, and Honeywell will monitor all equipment remotely to identify potential equipment issues and dispatch technicians to minimize disruptions to Airbus operations.
Airbus Americas Chairman Allan McArtor called the project “another milestone” in establishing the planemaker’s first U.S.-based production facility and said in a prepared statement he is confident Honeywell will deliver a “world-class powerhouse facility worthy of a world-class aircraft manufacturing site.”
Airbus broke ground April 8 on the $600 million facility dedicated solely to production of the single-aisle A320 family aircraft. The plant is slated to begin production in 2015, deliver its first Mobile-assembled aircraft in 2016 and employ 1,000 people when it reaches full annual production of 40 to 50 aircraft by 2018. “As a pioneer in air-transport technologies and leader in building management systems, Honeywell understands what it takes to keep a facility like the Airbus assembly line running efficiently and effectively,” Orzeske said, adding, “Our on-site expertise combined with remote services and support will help deliver the performance Airbus needs to meet its manufacturing and energy-management goals.”
By Kelli Dugan | kdugan@al.com on June 26, 2013 at 8:29 AM, updated June 26, 2013 at 9:47 AM