GKN Aerospace signs MoU for new wiring facility in India

The new future site – which will be a fully owned GKN Aerospace business – is located in Pune in the state Maharashtra and is scheduled to come online in the fourth quarter of 2018. Production is said to start in the first quarter of 2019, the workforce is expected to grow to 800 in 2027. The site will focus on the assembly of wiring systems for commercial aircraft and will operate alongside the existing JV for wiring systems in Bangalore which is serving the defence market. The plans also include the installation of proprietary wiring design and manufacturing system, a tool that is rolled out globally throughout all manufacturing locations to ensure the same quality everywhere in the world. GKN Aerospace, GKN Driveline and GKN Powder Metallurgy have made significant investments in India in recent years. The three businesses operate eight locations in India with 2’000 employees. India is an important country in GKN Aerospace’s plan to expand the Asian footprint. The company also recently announced a new facility in Malaysia, another element of the Asian expansion plan. By the time both sites are fully up-and-running, around 15% of GKN Aerospace’s employees are expected to be based in Asia.