Extensive construction work over the past two year at Gulfstream Aerospace’s headquarters in Savannah, Ga., provided a visible clue that the manufacturer had something big brewing. One new building completed in September 2012 will be used to make the wings and tails for the new G500 and G600 models, and another facility opened last month will house fuselage manufacturing and final assembly.
The new buildings (each more than 400,000 sq ft in area) are part of a sustained wave of infrastructure investment by Gulfstream. Next year, the company will also open a new 405,900-sq-ft parts distribution center.
The manufacturing process for the new jets will use new autoclave technology, mobile robotic platforms for drilling, multi-panel assembly cell equipment for attaching skin panels and laser radar for high-speed contour mapping of the wing.
Also new at Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport are a pair of new buildings at the Gulfstream Research and Development Center. These facilities accommodate the integrated test facilities that have been quietly working on development of both the cockpits and cabins of the G500 and G600 models. The former Savannah Air facility has been renovated to serve as the base for a busy flight test operation over the next couple of years, and also for expanded maintenance and overhaul facilities.
This year also has seen the opening of a new human resources center to handle more than 10,000 employees. As part of a $500 million, seven-year expansion plan announced back in 2010, Gulfstream has created 3,100 new jobs over the past four years.
