Airbus Appoints Program Manager for its Mobile Assembly Line
Alabama-based Company Now Responsible for All Aspects of Facility’s Construction
February 1, 2013: Airbus announced the selection of Hoar Program Management (HPM), an Alabama-based company, as program manager for its A320 Family assembly line in Mobile, Alabama. In this role, HPM will be responsible for managing all aspects of the design and construction of the facility, including supporting procurement of design and construction service providers and suppliers. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer.
HPM’s staff has been responsible for total projects valued in excess of $3.5 billion in recent years. HPM currently has offices in Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile, Alabama; Houston, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; Tampa, Florida; and Charlotte, North Carolina. The company is well known as a distinct leader and provider of program management services, serving clients such as Regions Bank, Auburn University, the University of Alabama, Mobile Infirmary, the City of Mobile, Disney, Apple, Coca-Cola and Alabama Power.
“After a vigorous competitive process, we’ve reached another major milestone with the appointment of a program manager,” said Airbus Americas Chairman Allan McArtor. “Working together with Hoar, we are ready to begin construction on Airbus’ first industrial facility in the U.S. Once finished, the new A320 assembly facility will be the most modern and technologically advanced in Airbus’ global assembly network.”
“This is truly an honor and a privilege,” said Mike Lanier, President of HPM. “Our folks have been working for months learning about Airbus, getting to understand their needs, their North American strategy, and how this complex in Mobile fits into their global strategy. Each of us is humbled at this selection and the opportunity and responsibility we have been given to lead this project. I believe our selection for this assignment is a testament to the outstanding people we have in our firm and the passion they bring to their roles in serving each of our clients every day. Airbus is the latest to recognize the value we add to their projects and the leadership our teams provide.”
On July 2, 2012 Airbus announced it will establish a manufacturing facility in the United States to assemble and deliver A319, A320 and A321 aircraft. Located at the Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile, Alabama, it will be the company’s first U.S.-based production facility. The assembly line, which will create jobs and strengthen the aerospace industry, is part of its strategy to enhance Airbus’ global competitiveness by meeting the growing needs of its customers in the United States and elsewhere.
Aircraft assembly is planned to start in 2015, with first deliveries from the Mobile facility beginning in 2016. Airbus anticipates the facility will produce between 40 and 50 aircraft per year by 2018
About Airbus Americas: Airbus manufactures the most modern and eco-efficient family of airliners available, ranging from 100 to over 500 seats. At its facilities in Wichita, Kansas and Mobile, Alabama, Airbus Americas helps engineer the entire product line. Additionally, Airbus supports, trains and sells to customers in the Americas from its centers in suburban Washington D.C. and Miami. Airbus has spent more than $140 billion in the U.S. since 1990 with hundreds of American suppliers in more than 40 states.
About Hoar Program Management (HPM): HPM was created in the mid 1990s as a way to offer years of comprehensive capital project experience to clients who lack sufficient professional design and construction management staff. HPM works with clients in the manufacturing, industrial, healthcare, institutional, retail and commercial markets.
Related Stories
| Jan 7, 2011
BIM on Target
By using BIM for the design of its new San Clemente, Calif., store, big-box retailer Target has been able to model the entire structural steel package, including joists, in 3D, chopping the timeline for shop drawings from as much as 10 weeks down to an ‘unheard of’ three-and-a-half weeks.
| Jan 7, 2011
How Building Teams Choose Roofing Systems
A roofing survey emailed to a representative sample of BD+C’s subscriber list revealed such key findings as: Respondents named metal (56%) and EPDM (50%) as the roofing systems they (or their firms) employed most in projects. Also, new construction and retrofits were fairly evenly split among respondents’ roofing-related projects over the last couple of years.
| Jan 7, 2011
Total construction to rise 5.1% in 2011
Total U.S. construction spending will increase 5.1% in 2011. The gain from the end of 2010 to the end of 2011 will be 10%. The biggest annual gain in 2011 will be 10% for new residential construction, far above the 2-3% gains in all other construction sectors.
| Jan 7, 2011
Mixed-Use on Steroids
Mixed-use development has been one of the few bright spots in real estate in the last few years. Successful mixed-use projects are almost always located in dense urban or suburban areas, usually close to public transportation. It’s a sign of the times that the residential component tends to be rental rather than for-sale.
| Jan 4, 2011
Product of the Week: Zinc cladding helps border crossing blend in with surroundings
Zinc panels provide natural-looking, durable cladding for an administrative building and toll canopies at the newly expanded Queenstown Plaza U.S.-Canada border crossing at the Niagara Gorge. Toronto’s Moriyama & Teshima Architects chose the zinc alloy panels for their ability to blend with the structures’ scenic surroundings, as well as for their low maintenance and sustainable qualities. The structures incorporate 14,000 sf of Rheinzink’s branded Angled Standing Seam and Reveal Panels in graphite gray.
| Jan 4, 2011
6 green building trends to watch in 2011
According to a report by New York-based JWT Intelligence, there are six key green building trends to watch in 2011, including: 3D printing, biomimicry, and more transparent and accurate green claims.
| Jan 4, 2011
LEED 2012: 10 changes you should know about
The USGBC is beginning its review and planning for the next version of LEED—LEED 2012. The draft version of LEED 2012 is currently in the first of at least two public comment periods, and it’s important to take a look at proposed changes to see the direction USGBC is taking, the plans they have for LEED, and—most importantly—how they affect you.
| Jan 4, 2011
California buildings: now even more efficient
New buildings in California must now be more sustainable under the state’s Green Building Standards Code, which took effect with the new year. CALGreen, the first statewide green building code in the country, requires new buildings to be more energy efficient, use less water, and emit fewer pollutants, among many other requirements. And they have the potential to affect LEED ratings.
| Jan 4, 2011
New Years resolutions for architects, urban planners, and real estate developers
Roger K. Lewis, an architect and a professor emeritus of architecture at the University of Maryland, writes in the Washington Post about New Years resolutions he proposes for anyone involved in influencing buildings and cities. Among his proposals: recycle and reuse aging or obsolete buildings instead of demolishing them; amend or eliminate out-of-date, obstructive, and overly complex zoning ordinances; and make all city and suburban streets safe for cyclists and pedestrians.
