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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Germany-Based KUKA Systems Expands Clinton Township, Michigan, Facility

04/21/2015
To support the further growth of its aerospace business, KUKA Systems is expanding its facility in Clinton Township, Michigan. The project is the third in a series of current investments to expand the R&D, engineering and manufacturing footprint of KUKA's global aerospace group, based in Michigan.

KUKA Systems, part of Germany-based KUKA AG, is an international supplier of engineering services and flexible automation systems for the Automotive, Aerospace, Energy, and Industrial Solutions segments. The KUKA Aerospace Group has been expanding rapidly by offering major airframe manufacturers assembly solutions based on assembly line principles as well as automated manufacturing tools and solutions, company officials said.

KUKA already has opened a 29,000 sq ft facility in Everett, Washington, to support customers on the West Coast. The Everett facility is KUKA Systems' first US installation outside Michigan. Earlier this month, KUKA officially opened a new R&D and production facility for advanced aerospace automation solutions in Le Haillan, France.

"These investments are a response to the strong uptake of our technologies and solutions by major aerospace companies around the world," says Robert Reno, Group Vice President, KUKA Aerospace Group. "By working closely with them in the design and deployment of these concepts, we're helping change the way aircraft are assembled."

KUKA's US customers includes Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Gulfstream Aerospace and Bell Helicopter. KUKA has built a highly automated assembly line for Northrop Grumman to build center fuselages for the F-35 jet fighter. It also is building automated manufacturing systems for the Boeing 777 and 737-MAX programs. For Gulfstream, it is supplying tooling and mobile robotic platforms to help build its newest corporate jets, while it has supplied a complete assembly line for building Bell's new super-medium class commercial helicopter, the 525 Relentless. The European customer base includes Airbus, Dassault Aviation and Stelia Aerospace.

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