NEWS INFORMATION FROM |
|
|
THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED |
FOR IMMEDIATE USE |
TURBINE AIRFOIL DESIGNS INC. TAKES OVER FORMER CHROMALLOY AMERICAN MANUFACTURING PLANT IN HARRISBURGMayor Stephen R. Reed and officials from Turbine Airfoil Designs Inc. and its parent company of the Walton Johnson Group today Announced the company’s recent purchase of the Chromalloy American Manufacturing plant at 1400 N. Cameron Street. The plant will operate as Turbine Airfoil Designs Inc. and employs more than 100 highly-skilled workers who manufacture engine components for the aerospace, airplane, land and marine turbine industries. The Mayor was joined at today’s announcement and ribbon cutting ceremony by John Walton, CEO of the Walton Johnson Group, a minority-owned merchant banking firm based in Dallas, Texas, and Richard Buckner, President of Turbine Airfoil Designs Inc.. Buckner will maintain his office in Harrisburg at the newly acquired plant. Reed said the 300,000 sq. ft. manufacturing plant was originally built by the U.S. Government in the early 1940’s and operated by the Harrisburg Steel Corporation for airplane engine manufacturing. At the conclusion of World War II The site was sold to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, who in turn leased it to the Thompson Products Company during the Korean War. Thompson was a principal producer of engine parts and assemblies for jet-propelled aircraft used by the U.S. Armed Forces and at its height in the mid-1950’s employed more than 2800 workers. The Mayor said the plant was later sold to TRW Corporation, who sold it to Chromalloy after a devastating nine-alarm fire in February, 1986 that remains the largest fire of the 20th Century in Harrisburg. Major outsourcing of work after Chromalloy’s takeover led to the layoffs of hundreds employees at the plant in the 1990’s. “The Turbine Airfoil Designs plant has been an integral part of Harrisburg’s manufacturing and businesses bases,” said Mayor Reed. “It is also an important part of our nation’s military support industry. The employees at this plant are some of the best trained and highly-skilled workers in the nation. We are delighted with the company’s decision to continue their good work here. This plant and its workers have served America well during their more than half-century of operations here, a circumstance we hope will continue into the 22nd Century and beyond.” Walton Johnson Group President John Walton said “they were delighted with the purchase of the plant and hope to significantly expand its business in the years to come. The employees of this plant are highly skilled and extremely dedicated, as evidenced by one such worker who has been at this plant since 1952. This is a company that has significant potential for future growth, and we think Harrisburg is a good place for that growth to occur.” New Turbine Airfoil Designs, Inc. President Richard Buckner echoed Walton’s assessment, noting that “the company is one of the few such manufacturing facilities in the world that specializes in turbine airfoil design and production, and the advent of even greater growth in the airline, aerospace and related advanced technology industries means there is a very bright future for this plant. We are thrilled to be in Harrisburg and salute the outstanding workforce that we were so fortunate to inherit. We hope they’ll be joined by many more new employees in the years to come.” Reed said the plant has been an industry leader for many years in such patented special processes as surface coating, brazing, heat treating and more that have been developed or invented at the plant. Despite its downsizing over the years it is today still considered one of the finest jet engine component production facilities in the world. The Walton Johnson Group is a minority-owned diversified holding company based in Dallas, Texas, with holdings in investment banking, asset management, real estate and merchant banking. The Walton Johnson Group is jointly owned by John Walton and William G. Mays, owner of the Mays Chemical Company in Indianapolis, Indiana |
|
