Alcoa wins US$2.5B Boeing supply deal
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
Alcoa will supply fastening systems for every Boeing platform and supply ready-to-install titanium seat tracks for the Dreamliner platform
Boeing produces the 787 at its plant in Everett, Wash. PHOTO Boeing
Alcoa will supply fastening systems for every Boeing platform, and supply ready-to-install titanium seat track assemblies for the entire 787 Dreamliner family.
“Alcoa has positioned itself to win in a multi-material aerospace industry, and these deals are the latest proof points that our strategy is working,” said Alcoa chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld.
Under one contract, Alcoa Fastening Systems & Rings will supply titanium, stainless steel, alloy steel, aluminum and nickel-based superalloy fastening systems for every Boeing platform, including the 777X—Boeing’s newest commercial airplane, the 737 MAX.
Alcoa will produce these fastening systems at seven of its global manufacturing facilities.
Alcoa also announced a second agreement under which it is the sole supplier of ready-to-install titanium seat track assemblies for all three members of the 787 Dreamliner family of airplanes. RTI International Metals (RTI), now known as Alcoa Titanium & Engineered Products (ATEP), has provided seat tracks for the 787-9 and 787-8 variants under a contract signed in 2007. This contract, as amended by RTI and Boeing immediately prior to the acquisition, reinforces ATEP’s position on those variants and adds seat tracks for the 787-10.
Seat tracks are critical structural assemblies that mount to the floor of the airplane, secure passenger seats and reinforce the structure of the fuselage. Titanium seat tracks are stronger, weigh less and offer superior corrosion resistance compared with traditional materials.
Alcoa is supplying the seat tracks, from raw material to finished part, with its titanium ingot melting and billetizing, extrusion, machining, processing and assembly capabilities gained through the RTI acquisition.
NOTE: This story was edited to correct a reference to the contract that inferred it was only for the fasteners. The $2.5 billion contract value includes both the supply of fasteners and seat track assemblies.
