Heroux-Devtek to supply torque tubes for Boeing’s Dreamliner
by Canadian Manufacturing Staff
Quebec-based company will build 787 Dreamliner torque tubes at Laval, Que., facility
LONGUEUIL, Que.—The Boeing Co. has awarded Quebec-based Heroux-Devtek Inc. a multi-year deal to manufacture torque tubes for its 787 Dreamliner passenger jet.
Financial terms of the agreement that will see the components manufactured at Heroux-Devtek’s Laval, Que., facility were not disclosed.
Shipments are slated to begin in early 2015, according to the company.
“This important multi-year contract further strengthens our business relationship with Boeing and provides Héroux-Devtek with additional content on a growing program,” Heroux-Devtek president and CEO Gilles Labbé said in a statement.
Based in Longueuil, Que., Heroux-Devtek has for years built torque tubes, essentially control rods inside the wing that push and pull flaps during landing, for Chicago-based Boeing’s 737 and 777 programs.
The company also has deals in place with Boeing to build landing gear for its passenger jets, including a contract to build the landing gear for the 777 and 777x that will see it invest $90 million in its facilities.
“This new contract for the 787 reaffirms our status as an important supplier of quality products and services to original equipment manufacturers,” Labbé said.
Produced since 2007, the Dreamliner has struggled through a number of problems since its first flight in 2009, including a handful of battery fires that grounded grounded aircraft the world over.
Production of the 787 Dreamliner set to increase from the current 10 aircraft per month to 12 in 2016, and 14 by the end of the decade.
As of July 31, 2014, the backlog for the jet stood at 869 aircraft, according to Heroux-Devtek.
