AEROSPACE INDUSTRY UPDATE

November 2016

McIlvaine Company

Airbus to Expand Friedrichshafen Space Installations Complex

The four-story center will house a large central cleanroom for the development and construction of satellites.

Airbus Defense and Space, a division of aircraft manufacturer Airbus Group, is building a new €43 million Integrated Technology Centre (ITC) at its space installations complex in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

The firm is Europe’s leading defense and space enterprise and the second largest space business worldwide.

Its activities include space, military aircraft and related systems and services.

At the heart of the four-story center with a basement and a footprint of around 45,192 sq. ft. (4,200m2) will be a large central cleanroom for the development and construction of satellites.

The 70x60m building, with a height of more than 20m, will be an expansion of Hall 6, which is the firm's current satellite integration facility.

The preliminary work – the demolition of the existing low buildings – has already begun.

Building work will start in November and the new center will begin operations in the summer of 2018.

The Friedrichshafen site will become a global 'center of gravity' of satellite construction

'The investment in the new ITC building makes the site a global 'center of gravity' of satellite construction,' said Eckard Settelmeyer, Head of Site Friedrichshafen at Airbus Defense and Space.

'This not only presents new possibilities for performing existing work, but also for acquiring new projects, such as large space telescopes with dimensions of 15m and above.'

He also said the company will be in a good position to handle projects that require ISO 5 cleanrooms (formerly known as Class 100).

The new center will play a pivotal role in a future comprehensive reorganization of work areas and processes at the site.

The lakeside factory in Friedrichshafen has continually expanded and been rearranged over its 60-year history, which has led to the laboratory and testing facilities being spread across the entire site.

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