In the photo, from left to right, Urs Breitmeier Commissioner Ray Long, Senator Luther Strange, Congressman Mo Brooks, Senator Arthur Orr, and Decatur Mayor Tad Bowling.
This celebration drew many dignitaries, and will provide jobs for locals as well.
RUAG Space, a product supplier to the space industry, held a celebratory reception in its new Decatur, Alabama facility to showcase the progress towards full production capabilities.
Led by RUAG Group CEO Urs Breitmeier, the RUAG team welcomed close to 200 community leaders, members of the space industry, media and various other supporters to the event. The facility, stretching over 130,000 square foot and collocating with one of its major customers United Launch Alliance, is designed to manufacture and assemble composite structures for launch vehicles. Some first machinery and equipment, such as the Final Integration Station for Interstage Adapters, is already in place.
Urs Breitmeier, RUAG Group CEO, expressed the company’s commitment to the U.S. market and said the United States are the largest space market, and they want to contribute, by being close to their customers, investing here, and building jobs here. In only a few months’ time, this facility will take up its operations — relying on proven RUAG standards and know-how, but made in the US.
RUAG is not only building the first US manufacturing site for launcher products, it is also one of the most advanced with new processes being applied. The facility and its equipment will be state of the art in the space industry .
On stage, RUAG representatives were joined by U.S. Senator Luther Strange, U.S. Congressman Mo Brooks, Alabama Senator Arthur Orr, and Mayor of Decatur Tab Bowling – all showing support for the continued growth within Alabama and appreciation for the strong U.S. workforce that RUAG is building. The city of Decatur and the state of Alabama had been of great support on this journey.
Senator Luther Strange added that the RUAG Space USA partnership with ULA will help keep their state on the cutting edge of aerospace innovation, and he is proud of the highly qualified Alabamians who will pave the way here in Decatur, and he will continue to stand behind their efforts in Washington.
RUAG Space has opened locations in four states across the country. From the large composites manufacturing facility in Decatur, Alabama; to the newest engineering facility located in Silicon Valley; the Denver engineering office; and the Florida production facility for satellite structures, each site combines to make up RUAG’s US team.
In less than two years, almost 50 new jobs have been created within RUAG Space USA, with an expected two year growth plan of over 100 employees, in the Decatur facility alone. The large composites manufacturing facility will be utilized for the production of fairings, interstage adapters and heat shields, with the capabilities for expansion.
