GKN Aerospace recently broke ground on a 57,000 square-feet expansion to its North Charlestown facility. The expansion is set to add about 30 jobs to the region, the company said. (Courtesy)
CHARLESTOWN — An aeronautics manufacturer in North Charlestown broke ground on an addition to its manufacturing facility earlier this month.
GKN Aerospace, headquartered in the United Kingdom, is an aircraft engine manufacturer. The North Charlestown facility on 1105 River Road, currently builds compressor blades and vanes and will be adding a “new production cell” for “high-performance” vanes and blades, which External Communications Director Petra Nordlund said will expand manufacturing capacity at the plant.
“Today marks an important milestone for our North Charlestown site and for GKN Aerospace’s U.S. operations,” Joakim Andresson, president — engines at the company said in the news release. “This investment will help us grow our capacity in the U.S. as demand from our engines customers continues to rise. It is an important step as we strengthen our ability to support customers and grow our business for the long term.”
Nordlund said GKN manufactures aerospace parts for civilian and military purposes, including business planes and wing components for F-35 fighter jets.
A compressor and its parts, including vanes and blades, play a key role in powering the jet engines seen on the underside of an airplane’s wings.
GKN invested $16 million to build the 57,000 square-foot addition, which expand the facility in North Charlestown to 97,000 square-feet, according to a Sept. 10 news release.
Nordlund said the company anticipates construction will end next fall, and will look to hire approximately 30 additional jobs She said the jobs will be added over time, and will depend on future business opportunities and customer demand.
“Recruitment plans will be aligned with business needs,” she added.
Nordlund did not specify the types of jobs the company plans to add and said she did not have an estimate of the number of construction jobs needed for the expansion.
Governor Kelly Ayotte, who attended the Sept. 10 groundbreaking, called New Hampshire a leader in aerospace and promised Granite Staters growth in the industry statewide.
“GKN Aerospace’s expansion here is a testament to what is possible when industry investment and workforce development come together,” she said.
“We will continue to expand pathways to careers in aerospace and other high-demand fields, ensure our workforce has the skills and training necessary to grow this important industry, and keep New Hampshire a hub for innovation.
Ben Baker can be reached at bbaker@keenesentinel.com.
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