Expands Worldwide Servicing Operations

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation announced Friday an expansion to its global customer service and support capability with the opening of a new Hawker Beechcraft Services (HBS) paint facility in Chester, United Kingdom.

The state-of-the-art paint facility enhances Hawker Beechcraft's factory-owned service center located at Hawarden Airport near Chester and enables Hawker Beechcraft to offer superior customer support. In conjunction with the new paint facility, Hawker Beechcraft is aligning its aircraft maintenance, interiors modification and refurbishment services at the existing Chester facility to provide a multifunctional service location for customers.

"This new facility allows us to effectively respond to the growing demands of our customers, and enhances our commitment to meet and exceed their expectations," said Bruce Watson, General Manager of Hawker Beechcraft's Chester facility. "We are excited to open this facility and expand the world-class services we provide to our customers."

Completed in November, the 25,000-square-foot paint facility features lean production and process techniques along with the latest technology to limit environmental impact. The stand- alone facility has one paint bay and one preparation area to accommodate the Hawker 4000 and similar sized aircraft and, depending on the mix, is capable of housing four aircraft at any one time. Each area provides the correct environment for the highest standard of paint stripping and paint spraying. The facility is staffed by highly skilled painters, designers and technicians, and will provide Hawker Beechcraft the ability to handle an expanded volume of work.

"This one-stop shop maintenance and paint facility will be a unique selling point for Hawker Beechcraft in helping them to expand their offering and accelerate the company's growth," said First Minister for Wales Rhodri Morgan. "That is why it gives me so much pleasure to open this new facility because they are still investing and still expanding. At a time of challenging economic conditions, it is great to see that Hawker Beechcraft continues to see the advantages of growing their aircraft servicing facility in North East Wales."

FMI: www.hawkerbeechcraft.com