State Of The Art Manufacturing Facility Starts Operations
It was pretty obvious from interviews over the last year that engine building giant, Continental, (now rebranded as Continental Aerospace Technologies) was investing heavily in the future... and with more than just their pocketbooks...
A major shift in strategies and a focus on the next-generation has been behind a number of upgrades and changes that have come to pass, of late.
Most recently; Continental held a ceremonial ribbon-cutting to publicly unveil their new, state of the art, 275,000 square foot manufacturing facility.
Continental announced the $75 million investment as a part of the "Blue Marlin" -- which includes a $45 million investment in new manufacturing equipment.
The two-story facility in Mobile, Alabama, will replace the current office and production facility that opened in Mobile over 50 years ago. The modern facility will focus on innovation, streamlining processes, safety, and collaboration across all teams.
“This major investment is a commitment to the future of general aviation,” said Rhett Ross, president and CEO of Continental Aerospace Technologies. “Continental has been manufacturing engines for over 100 years, and this world-class facility will modernize our manufacturing processes by allowing us to pivot to market demands for years to come. This facility will not only change the way we build engines, but it will also foster closer collaboration between sales, customer support, engineering, and production teams.”
The weekend ceremony included local dignitaries and keynote speaker, Erik Lindbergh, grandson of pioneering aviator, Charles Lindbergh.
In 1927, Lindbergh was the first person to fly solo on a non-stop flight between New York and Paris. Seventy-five years later, Erik shares his grandfather’s passion for flying and traced his path across the Atlantic Ocean.
“The Lindbergh family and Continental share a century of passion for innovation in Aviation,” noted Erik. It is very exciting to be partnering again with Continental - 17 years after I flew across the Atlantic powered by a continental IO-550 engine and that flight helped to launch the private space flight industry. This time, Continental and VerdeGo Aero are pioneering the eVTOL “flying car” industry. The passion for innovation in aviation is alive and well.”
As the rest of the aviation world was readying for Oshkosh, some 100 team members moved into the office areas for finance, sales, customer support, and engineering. In the coming year, the remaining business functions and all production areas will transition into the facility combining a whopping 11 buildings over 44 acres into just one -- a BIG one. The manufacturing facility will be fully operational next year.
ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.17.24): Very High Frequency
See All