Airbus in the U.S.
One of the most anticipated capital building programs in recent aviation history, Airbus entered North America with its first US manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama and chose HPM as the local experts to lead the construction of its final assembly line. The company made history at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley announcing its plans in July 2012 and breaking ground in April 2013—which marked the beginning of construction for the $600 million facility.
Due to an ambitious schedule and budget, Airbus realized they needed a versatile and experienced program manager to lead this monumental collaborative effort. Working with teams from Europe, Asia, and North America, HPM found ways to meet the aerospace giant’s facility needs while maintaining a target for LEED Silver—which is uncommon for the local region and even less so in the industrial and manufacturing industry.
Across time zones, despite language and cultural differences and under pressure to deliver a legacy project for a global company with myriad stakeholders and site partners, HPM implemented some of the most cutting-edge technology in the construction business to aid design and construction teams throughout the entire process saving countless hours in the office and in the field.
The stellar results provided Airbus with efficiency and effectiveness and set a new standard for HPM and our industry. Throughout the process, HPM faced unique challenges while providing leadership on a program of this magnitude, working with a global company entering a new market, coordinating the efforts of a multitude of site partners and initiating technologies and processes new to the company and to the industry.
With a focus on leadership and technology, HPM centered our day-to-day role in managing the design and construction of the project on unifying the various teams to achieve a common, successful goal. With multiple stakeholders in several countries and a number of design and construction teams on the site, HPM’s constant effort to keep everyone working together became essential in ensuring a quality product within budget and schedule for our client in order for Airbus to deliver airplanes to its customers as soon as possible.
Aircraft assembly began in late 2015 with the first delivery targeted for 2016.
