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PAC Group Land Spirit AeroSystems Contract

Based in Prestwick, Scotland, the new Aerospace Innovation Centre is a 90,000 square-foot facility focusing on infusion processes for composite materials, part handling, assembly automation, rapid prototyping, and virtual/augmented reality.

As industry-leaders in research and development for aerospace technologies, the company develop solutions that are essential for the fabrication and assembly of leading edges, wing boxes, and lower wing covers.

The Hot Drape Former (HDF), or Preformer, was designed, manufactured, and installed by PAC Composites, a key division of PAC Group, which represents significant investment in innovative technology on behalf of Spirit AeroSystems.

Jahan Ali, Head of the Aerospace Innovation Centre, said:

“New advanced technologies and the installation of this equipment will help Spirit in its drive to deliver world- leading technical solutions to create products of the future.”

One of eight PAC Group divisions, PAC Composites provide world-class and innovative solutions using the latest in Hot Drape Former (HDF) technology. With the expertise and capability to design and build bespoke machines for a wide variety of applications, the Northern Ireland-based engineering firm hold 42 unique patents for their HDF hardware and software and specialise in building machines that are NADCAP compliant for use in the aerospace industry.

PAC Group’s Head of Marketing, Rachel Doherty, said:

“We are delighted to be working with Spirit AeroSystems on this project – a globally recognised and leading name in the aerospace industry. We collaborated with Spirit to design and manufacture a machine for their Aerospace Innovation Centre that can improve product performance, lower costs, and reduce process cycle time.”

“The demand is high for innovative solutions to support the manufacture of composite structures and components, especially to reduce the weight of component parts and improve cost efficiencies in the lifecycle of component parts. We are in exciting talks with multiple global leaders in aerospace and automotive manufacture and we look forward to growing our composites division throughout Ireland, the UK, and Europe.”

PAC Group's Business Development Director, Darren Leslie, added:

“This is an exciting project in our on-going partnership with Spirit AeroSystems, and a key step in our business growth strategy. We successfully doubled turnover and employee numbers in 2019 and – despite the challenges of 2020 – we secured a new 15,000 sq. ft. premises to support our three-year growth objectives.”

Find out more about PAC Composites and our innovation capabilities by contacting our expert team.