“Somewhere in the world, an Airbus A320, a family aircraft, takes off or lands every two seconds, every day around the clock. Every two seconds a piece of Foley is on that airplane.”

— Marc Duvall, president of UTC Aerospace Systems’ Aerostructures business

With these words, UTC Aerospace Systems announced Tuesday it is expanding its current location in Foley, adding an 80,000-square-foot manufacturing and nacelle assembly facility, predicted to bring 260 jobs to Baldwin County.

“This new facility will help support our customer, the Airbus A320, initially the current engine option (CEO) and then the new engine option (NEO),” said Darrell Wilson, general manager of UTC Aerospace Systems in Foley. “When our new facility opens in about a year, it will be something to behold. We are all about continuous improvement; it’s the core of the way we do business. We will ensure the products we build here continue to flow in the most efficient way possible.”

The new building will house offices as well as new equipment, but all these things take the back seat to the most important element in those buildings today.

“…That is the people,” Wilson said. “Our employees have made this facility what it is today. This facility in Foley was recognized by UTC Aerospace as a center of excellence. I’m truly blessed to work with this team.”

In addition to local officials, the secretary of commerce for the state of Alabama, Greg Canfield, was in attendance.

“In 2012, we made the announcement Airbus was going to manufacture and assemble an aircraft for the first time in the United States of America right here in Alabama,” Canfield said. “It was a big day because of the company and its international brand; a company that is recognized as a leader in its industries. It was a big day because it also meant we had other great partners already located in Alabama like UTC that were going to have the opportunity to benefit from the vision of locating and recruiting Airbus to the state.”

Only a year after Airbus came to Alabama, did the conversation with UTC begin.

“UTC and everyone here that are partners and part of this team represent the fiber of what makes Alabama great,” Canfield said. “We are a people who are dedicated to our job, we believe in quality, in pride and ownership of the work we do. This integration center is going to be a capstone to the next generation of aerospace in the state.

“We are so grateful that after 2012, Airbus was landing in Alabama and then we began the conversation in 2013 with UTC about this center. This is not about today, this is really about the future.”

UTC Aerospace (formerly Goodrich Corporation), has had a presence in Foley for more than 30 years.

“A new facility means business is healthy and growing,” Duvall said. “Growth means new opportunities to serve our customers, and it means 260 more jobs. This site is recognized as a site of excellence and a natural choice when it came to expansion.”

Michael Grondalski, vice president operations for aerostructures at UTC Aerospace Systems, recognized this milestone not only for the business but for our community.

“Groundbreaking has a lot of different meanings,” he explained. “It can mean new constructions, but it can also mean innovative, cutting edge or transformative. Our groundbreaking does both of those things, construction — and more importantly, the transformation this facility will continue to represent for aerostructures as we move forward.”

This expansion will enable the site to be more customer focused than it has been and support the significant growth within this region. The growth of Airbus is expanding the growth at this site.

“This is an indication of a strong focus of economic development in this region in particular; this is a great workforce that supports growth,” Grondalski said. “The employees here are some of the best to work with across our industry and our aerostructures business. The culture here is contagious. The culture comes from a strong focus that is absolutely ingrained in the people we have and ultimately, it’s what allows us to meet or exceed our expectations with our customers in driving results for our business.”

Tucker Dorsey of the Baldwin County Commission, said Baldwin County is a great place for innovative businesses to invest.

“This is a return on the investment Baldwin County has made on pursuing economic development opportunities for the entire county,” he explained. “The yearly payroll when this operation opens will be north of $50 million. That’s $50 million coming from around the world injected into payroll for jobs here in Baldwin County, and that will filter in to our entire Baldwin County community.”

There were choices to land and expand the work UTC does, and many of the speakers, including Dorsey, thanked the employees for all the work they do.

“The reason this expansion is here is because of the work the employees do here,” Dorsey said. “The investment UTC makes for you to get product out on time — you are the ones who made this possible. The quality of work you produce is what made this possible for all of Baldwin County.”