Collins Aerospace has broken ground on its expansion at the Spokane carbon brake production facility.

Local government officials, community leaders, industry partners and Collins leadership celebrated the milestone event at the manufacturing site.

The site will add 70,000 square feet to its manufacturing space, increasing the site’s footprint by 50 per cent to increase production capacity.

Collins has a significant role in the local economy and this project further enhances the commitment toward growing the workforce to match industry demands by adding approximately 80 jobs. This facility will expand the carbon brakes production capacity in the Spokane region to meet commercial aviation and military customer demand that is scheduled to take place over the next several years.

“Collins Aerospace is a key part of the critically important aerospace supply chain in Washington state, and we are proud to have them in Spokane,” says Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck. “This expansion adds high-quality jobs and reinforces Washington’s leadership in advanced manufacturing and aerospace technologies.”

“We celebrate this milestone today with our industry partners, customers, community leaders, and employees who are crucial in supporting this advancement in technological innovation and that of the local Spokane economy,” says Matt Maurer, vice president and general manager for Landing Systems at Collins Aerospace. “This expansion is the latest development in the Pacific Northwest region in advanced technical innovation and manufacturing capacity to support the growing demand for our carbon brakes.”

The Spokane facility is one of three carbon brake production sites at Collins Aerospace that specializes in the production of braking systems with DURACARB carbon disk technology.