The forecasts for the aerospace industry promise a steady growth in passenger volumes. Accordingly, more than 41,000 aircraft are needed by the year 2036. FACC AG will greatly benefit from these developments and started the next expansion level in the middle of the financial year.

"Today, we are investing into the future of tomorrow. Within the scope of a large-scale investment program we will spend up to 100 million euros in the next three years", says FACC CEO Robert Machtlinger. "This move is our response to the strong worldwide growth in aviation and will prepare us for new technologies and trends. Due to our innovative power we are the drivers of progress, not only in the field of lightweight construction. At the same time, our weight-saving products are a valuable contribution to global mobility, making aviation more lightweight, efficient and comfortable."

The technology company has an order level of more than five billion USD, existing capacities will be fully stretched for the next seven years, new projects are in the pipeline, and customers confirm the gradual increase of production rates. Therefore, FACC is extending its capacities for the production of lightweight components for the aerospace industry and investing into new products, technologies, and processes, with the main focus being on the Upper Austrian locations Reichersberg and Ort im Innkreis.

Within the scope of its corporate strategy "Vision 2020" FACC has aimed for achieving the milestone to increase sales revenues to one billion by the year 2020/21. Currently, the enterprise generates an annual turnover of more than 700 million euros. The extension by an additional production area of 6,400 m2, which has been started recently, is the first step of the strategic investment program. The better part of the investment will be implemented in the years 2017 and 2018.

"On the one hand, the construction projects constitute a necessary advancement of the enterprise. On the other hand, they are another clear and strong Yes to Austria as an industrial location and another important contribution towards creating new quality jobs in the region", says Robert Machtlinger.

Complex logistics for transporting the autoclaves

The transport and placement of the two autoclaves were a logistic challenge. With a length of 19.9 meters and a diameter of 6.1 meters, one of these pressure vessels, which are gas-tight when closed and intended for the thermal treatment of components under overpressure conditions, will be the biggest autoclave operating at FACC to date. The autoclaves traveled the long distance from the German manufacturer Scholz in Coesfeld (Germany) to Upper Austria by boat. They were loaded onto a barge at the port of Ludinghausen on 13 November 2017 and arrived in Aschach an der Donau on 27 November 2017. In Aschach, the autoclaves were transferred by Felbermayr onto two flatbed trailers to be carried by road on the last leg of the delivery to their final destinations in Reichersberg and Ort im Innkreis, respectively. The heavy-goods vehicles were 38.5 meters in length, 6.5 meters wide and had a weight of 232 tons. The tractor units used for transport are among the strongest in Europe, featuring more than 800 hp, each. The weights of the autoclaves, 160 and 140 tons, respectively, rested on one flatbed trailer, each, distributed to twelve and eight axles with eight wheels per axle. Several bridge structures along the route, which were not sufficiently dimensioned and approved for such weight, had to be reinforced beforehand. Numerous electricity and telephone lines had to be raised, and road signs, traffic lights, lamp posts and fences had to be removed.