Spirit AeroSystems celebrates its first 10 years as a company

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Jun 17, 2015, 01:01 ET

WICHITA, Kan., June 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit AeroSystems today is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Spirit AeroSystems: 10 & Rising. Spirit AeroSystems is one of the world's largest non-OEM designers and manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial aircraft.

"When Spirit launched on June 17, 2005, aerospace companies worldwide instantly gained access to a new, independent design-build partner. And it's been full speed ahead ever since," said Spirit President & CEO Larry Lawson. "Thanks to the skill, persistence and determination of Spirit employees, we transitioned into a global supplier with multiple customers. Ten years is an important milestone, a good accomplishment, but only one step in our transformation. We have much more to accomplish."

Spirit's transformation over the last 10 years includes significant growth in revenue, sites, customers, products and build rates. Spirit began with $9 billion of backlog in 2005; at the end of the first quarter of 2015, the company's backlog had grown more than 500 percent to $46 billion. Total build rate on all programs in 2005 was just over 27 shipsets per month, and today it is almost 120 per month.

Spirit was created when Boeing Commercial Airplanes divested its Wichita Division and Oklahoma operations. Spirit began with locations in two U.S. states and today has operations globally, including in the U.S., the U.K., Malaysia, and France.

"We are proud to have Spirit AeroSystems in Kansas," said Kansas Governor Sam Brownback. "They exemplify the best traditions of aviation through innovation and commitment to quality. Congratulations to Spirit AeroSystems and its entire workforce on this important milestone."

Spirit's customers today include Boeing, Airbus, Sikorsky Helicopter, Bell Helicopter, Rolls-Royce, Mitsubishi and Bombardier.

"Spirit's capabilities have grown in the last decade from primarily a designer and builder of aluminum structures to being one of the foremost experts in the world on large complex composite structures," said Lawson. "Now I'm looking forward to continuing that transformation and meeting our customers' needs for decades to come."

Spirit has approximately 15,000 employees worldwide and was recently named to the Fortune 500 list for the first time, ranked as the 396^th largest company in the U.S.

About Spirit AeroSystems Inc.
Spirit AeroSystems, with headquarters in Wichita, Kan., USA, is one of the world's largest non-OEM designers and manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial aircraft. In addition to its Wichita and Chanute facilities in Kansas, Spirit has locations in Tulsa and McAlester, Okla.; Kinston, N.C.; Prestwick, Scotland; Preston, England; Subang, Malaysia; and Saint-Nazaire, France. In the U.S., Spirit's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components. Additionally, Spirit provides aftermarket customer support services, including spare parts, maintenance/repair/overhaul, and fleet support services in North America, Europe and Asia. Spirit Europe produces wing components for a host of customers, including Airbus.