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PRESS RELEASE
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GKN Aerospace congratulates Boeing on the 737 MAX first flight
Monday, 1 February 2016

GKN Aerospace congratulates Boeing on the successful first flight of its 737 MAX airplane. The 737 MAX, powered by CFM International’s LEAP-1B engines, will deliver the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market with 20 percent lower fuel use than the first Next-Generation 737s.

GKN Aerospace is making a number of key contributions to the aircraft’s wing, engine and cabin including:

• Manufacture of 50% of the aircraft’s unique, dual feather design, ‘advanced technology’ (AT) winglets, designed by Boeing, which will improve fuel efficiency by up to 1.8%.  These will be manufactured at the company’s Cowes, UK facility, with assembly in the USA at Orangeburg, SC.

• Final assembly and paint of all (100%) of the winglets at a new site in Sumner, Washington State, close to Boeing’s 737 MAX final assembly line.

• Supply of one-piece engine nacelle inlet lip skins, manufactured at a fully automated production line within a new purpose-built site in Orangeburg, SC.  These lighter weight nacelle inlet lip skins incorporate a laminar flow surface that reduces drag and improves aerodynamic performance.

• Manufacture of a number of structures for CFM International’s LEAP-1B aero-engine, including the combustion diffuser nozzle and the CDN assembly.

• Provision of Crystal Vue II - coated passenger cabin windows (PCW), the market-leading PCW, which is standard fit on all Boeing passenger aircraft.

• Design and manufacture of an electrical wiring interconnection system (EWIS) package (by Fokker Technologies, a division of GKN Aerospace)

David Brantner, President, GKN Aerospace comments: “We are extremely proud to be playing our part in creating the newest version of Boeing’s incredibly successful 737 family of aircraft and we send our congratulations to Boeing today. The 737 MAX represents the intelligent combination of the strongest of the industry’s newest technologies with the most effective of our proven expertise to achieve real performance gains across the airframe.  Our own involvement clearly reflects this strategy, with our business supplying both state of the art innovations and well-proven products.”

Contact details from our directory:
GKN Aerospace Composite Structures, Helicopter Assemblies, Aircraft Structural Components, Aircraft Doors, Wings, Empennages, Helicopter Landing Gear, Electrical Wire & Cable, Nacelles, Engine Nozzles, Engine Housings, Transparent Canopies, Fuel Tanks & Systems, Ice Protection/Prevention Equipment, Engine Parts, Winglets, Flotation Gear, Fuselage Sections, Engine Inlets, Windshields, Refueling Equipment, Air Refuelling Systems, Aircraft Landing Gear, Cable Assemblies, Aircraft Control Surfaces, Aircraft Flooring, Windows, Turbine Engine Blades
Boeing Commercial Airplanes Airframer
Related aircraft programs:
Boeing 737
Related directory sectors:
Engine Components