Swiss aerospace manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft has begun operations in its new advanced composite center, “Schwarzhorn,” in central Switzerland. The facility is named after a mountain in the Bernese Alps and bears the color of load-bearing composite components.
The center, which employs 300, brings the development and production of composite components under a single roof for the first time, from delivery and storage of raw materials through production, subassembly, surface treatment, storage and order picking, Pilatus says. Components are then delivered directly to final assembly as finished kits.
In the past, Pilatus used composite materials only for non-load-bearing secondary structures, such as covers and cowlings. The company now uses composite materials for primary structural components, such as composite load-bearing control surfaces on its Pilatus PC-24 jet, and plans to expand their use in the future.
“With this building, Pilatus is once again reaffirming its commitment to Switzerland as a place of innovation, manufacturing and training—and to our sustainable development here at our home base, where our roots lie,” says Pilatus CEO Markus Bucher. “Costing 100 million Swiss francs ($123.2 million), this building is the most expensive facility we have invested in to date.”
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