Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corp. and Siemens Power and Gas division will locate their new joint-venture casting operation in the Tampa, FL, area, where Chromalloy currently operates an investment casting foundry for aerospace turbine components. The partners project a capital investment of approximately $139 million for the new plant, according to an announcement by Florida governor Rick Scott. Advanced Airfoil Components, a venture announced earlier this year, will mainly produce cast components for turbine blades and vanes for the power-generation market.
According to the governor’s statement, the new Advanced Airfoil Components plant in Hillsborough County will lead to the creation of 350 new jobs. The specific location, the scope of the manufacturing operations, and the production capacity have not been detailed.
The initial delivery of finished parts from the venture is scheduled for 2018.
Last spring, Chromalloy and Siemens announced their project, which is intended to supply parts to Siemens exclusively. Start-up part qualifications and production shipments are in process at Chromalloy's existing facility, they announced at that time.
The current Chromalloy investment casting operation in Tampa produces a comparable range of parts for turbofan aircraft engines, as well as a separate, adjacent plant producing cores to support the investment casting plant.
It supplies turbofan and industrial-gas turbine engine manufacturers, and supports Chromalloy’s global repair and replacement service program for aircraft engine parts.
"The decision to form a joint venture and a new production facility continues our strong commitment to the U.S. as a business location," stated Willi Meixner, CEO of the Siemens Power and Gas Division, earlier this year. He also noted that Siemens and Chromalloy have a long-standing supplier-customer relationship.
Siemens Power and Gas supplies EPC services to utilities and independent power producers, with products that include gas turbines (5 to 400 MW), steam turbines (45 kW to 1,900 MW), generators (25 to 2,235 MVA), and compressors, as well as integrated packages for gas-fired power plants.
The new Tampa-area development is due to receive subsidization from various bodies and jurisdiction, including Enterprise Florida, the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp., Hillsborough County, and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.