Premium AEROTEC starts production of panels for new Airbus A350 XWB

Berlin, 8 June 2010 Premium AEROTEC is preparing for series production of the new A350 XWB long-haul aircraft. Production of the first panels made of carbon fibre composites (CFCs) for the A350 XWB will start at the Nordenham site in June. The Augsburg site will follow suit shortly afterwards. Premium AEROTEC is the worlds largest supplier of fuselage structures for the A350 XWB. Its total investment in this future generation of aircraft amounts to around 360 million, as the company announced in connection with a press meeting held in the run-up to the ILA Berlin Air Show 2010.

Premium AEROTEC is the most important aerostructures supplier for the new Airbus A350 XWB long-haul aircraft, whose fuselage is largely made of CFC materials. Carbon fibre-reinforced plastic is increasingly becoming the first choice as a material for aerostructures on account of its low weight and excellent corrosion properties.

This cutting-edge CFC technology is essential to producing the highly complex fuselage structure for the A350 XWB, with its lightweight design. It involves creating the outer skin with a fibre placement machine and curing it in the autoclave. Preparations for this in the newly built production halls in Augsburg and Nordenham are nearing completion. The large-dimensioned side shells of the rear fuselage section (sections 16-18) for the new A350 XWB long-haul aircraft will be manufactured in Augsburg; production of the entire forward fuselage section (sections 13/14), including integration, will take place in Nordenham.

Premium AEROTEC GmbH has over 6,000 employees and generated revenues of 1.1 billion euros in 2009. Its core business is the development and manufacturing of metal and carbon composite aerostructures and the associated equipment and production systems. The company has production plants in Augsburg, Bremen, Nordenham and Varel in Germany, and will soon have another plant in Brasov County, Romania.