OREANDA-NEWS. Lightweight metals leader Alcoa (NYSE:AA) today announced a long-term supply agreement with Boeing for multi-material aerospace parts. Under this agreement, Alcoa will supply components for the 777X—Boeing’s newest commercial airplane—the 737 MAX—scheduled for first delivery in 2017—and the 787 Dreamliner. The deal draws on capabilities gained through the Firth Rixson acquisition and the Company’s new aluminum-lithium facility in Lafayette, Indiana.

“This is the latest in a series of Boeing contract wins made possible by Alcoa’s recent aerospace investments,” said Alcoa Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Klaus Kleinfeld. “Alcoa has successfully built a strong leadership position in this market and we are proud to see our home-grown innovations and new products create value for our customers.”

Under the new agreement, Alcoa Forgings and Extrusions will supply differentiated components for Boeing’s airplanes, including the wing, fuselage, and landing gear. These include:

  • Advanced titanium landing gear parts and complex titanium nacelle fittings for the 737 MAX, made using specialized presses gained through the Firth Rixson acquisition;
  • Boeing’s first-ever aluminum-lithium extrusion produced at Alcoa’s Lafayette facility for the 777X cargo floor, helping save weight and improve corrosion resistance; and
  • Large, near net shaped parts that improve the efficiency and help reduce the costs of Boeing’s in-house machining.

This transaction is the fourth multi-year agreement recently announced with Boeing. In December 2015, Alcoa announced long-term supply contracts with Boeing for fastening systems and titanium seat track assemblies. In September 2014, Alcoa announced a significant Boeing contract win which established Alcoa as a sole supplier of wing skins on all of Boeing’s metallic structure airplanes.

Alcoa has secured approximately $10 billion in aerospace contracts since the start of 2015, including the Boeing transactions, drawing on the Company’s growing aerospace portfolio.

Alcoa’s aerospace businesses will form part of the new Value-Add Company, to be launched following Alcoa’s previously announced separation in the second half of 2016. The Value-Add Company will be a differentiated supplier to the high-growth aerospace industry with leading positions on every major aircraft and jet engine platform, underpinned by market leadership in jet engine and industrial gas turbine airfoils, and aerospace fasteners.

A global leader in lightweight metals technology, engineering and manufacturing, Alcoa innovates multi-material solutions that advance our world. Our technologies enhance transportation, from automotive and commercial transport to air and space travel, and improve industrial and consumer electronics products. We enable smart buildings, sustainable food and beverage packaging, high-performance defense vehicles across air, land and sea, deeper oil and gas drilling and more efficient power generation. We pioneered the aluminum industry over 125 years ago, and today, our more than 60,000 people in 30 countries deliver value-add products made of titanium, nickel and aluminum, and produce best-in-class bauxite, alumina and primary aluminum products.