Chromalloy opened a new specialty-machining center for finishing gas-turbine engine parts in Guaymas, Mexico. It has been operating at an adjacent location since 2009, but it broke ground in June for the new, 36,000-sq.ft. operation that expands and replaces the previous shop. The cost of the expansion has not been reported.
The new operation is designed to machine up to 68,000 gas turbine engine components annually, with customer orders beginning in January 2016. By that time, it will have approximately 250 employees, Chromalloy estimated, triple the previous number at that site.
"As a supplier in the new engine supply chain, Chromalloy is building on our capacity in Guaymas with a new facility and additional production space and equipment to support turbine system manufacturers," president Carlo Luzzatto said last summer. "Our process solutions and capabilities include precision machining of newly manufactured gas turbine engine parts for the next-generation, fuel-efficient aircraft engines, and the heavy industrial-gas turbines used in power generation."
The Guaymas plant conducts finish machining on “new production”, high- and low-pressure gas turbine engine components supplied by original equipment manufacturers, including blades and segments. Its capabilities include multi-axis machining, grinding, milling and electro-discharge machining (EDM), and inspection.
Chromalloy also noted the new plant adopts Lean and “Operational Excellence” principles and workflow designs.
The new shop’s customers include the aircraft engine manufacturers and manufacturers of heavy industrial gas turbines.
Chromalloy also operates a gas turbine engine component repair center in Mexicali, Mexico. It has operations in 11 countries, designing, manufacturing, and servicing turbine airfoils and other engine components for commercial and military aircraft and industrial gas turbine engines. It also offers advanced repairs, coatings, and FAA-approved replacement parts for turbine airfoils and other commercial, military, and industrial engine components.
“This brand-new plant is a significant part of our growth strategy as a global supplier in the new engine supply chain,” said Thomas Mepham, CEO of Sequa Corporation, Chromalloy’s parent company.
