May 14, 2008
North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley, right, welcomes Spirit AeroSystems to the N.C. Global TransPark in Kinston with the presentation of gifts to John Lewelling, the company’s senior vice president and general manager for aerostructure segments.
The world’s largest independent supplier of aerostructures grew a little larger this morning with the announcement that Spirit AeroSystems will build a plant at the N.C. Global TransPark in Kinston.
“Today the Global TransPark is the best thing we’ve got going in North Carolina,” said Gov. Mike Easley, who made the formal announcement this morning.
The plant, expected to open in 18-19 months, will initially handle work arising from a new Spirit contract with Airbus.
Spirit’s new operation at the TransPark represents a $570 million investment. The company expects to employ about 500 people on opening and expand to at least 1,000 jobs in five to seven years.
“There’s really no question that Kinston is on the way,” Eugene Conti, vice chairman of the Global TransPark Authority, told the crowd.
Easley told the some 300 people who gathered for the official announcement that the starting pay scale at Spirit will be higher than Kinston’s median salary, which is a little more than $26,000 for individuals and nearly $37,000 for families, according to latest statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Components for the Airbus 350 XWB, an extra wide body passenger jet, will be the first products built at the Kinston plant, John Lewelling, Spirit’s senior vice president and general manager for aerostructure segments, said. Lewelling represented the company at today’s announcement.
“All the people we’ve met with (in Kinston and Lenoir County) have exceeded our expectations,” he said.
Spirit plans to design, build and deliver the 65-foot-long center section of the Airbus plane from the GTP, according to the Wichita Eagle. Though Spirit currently does work for Airbus, work on the 380 aircraft represents a new contract and figured into the company’s plan to build a new plant in North Carolina, closer to Airbus operations in Europe than Spirit’s other facilities.
Today’s announcement represents the culmination of about 18 months of negotiations between Wichita, Kan.-based Spirit and the state, which owns the TransPark, and, more importantly to Kinston, better than 15 years of waiting for a breakthrough success at the GTP.
“To those who said it couldn’t be done, thanks for getting out of the way and letting us get it done,” Easley said.
Spirit AeroSystems was owned by Boeing until 2005 when the Onex Corporation bought the company. Spirit became a stand-alone company later that year.
The company manufactures several components for aircraft such as the Airbus, 787s and business jets. Some of those components include fuselages, under-wing components, composites, wings and spares. Spirit also does repairs for various aircraft.
In addition to its Wichita location, the company has operations in Tulsa and McAlester, Okla., Prestwick, Scotland, and Samlesbury, England.
Earlier today, the Kinston City Council unanimously approved an incentive agreement between the city and Spirit.
The Spirit facility will use city water and sewer services, and the rate will be fixed at $2.43 per 1,000 gallons of water and $2.04 per 1,000 gallons of sewer for 10 years, according to the agreement.
Check back with Kinston.com throughout the day for updates or see Thursday’s edition of The Free Press