The French company that will supply landing gear for the Boeing Co.’s new 787 plans to build a plant in Snohomish County.
The company, Messier Dowty, plans a facility of between 20,000 and 40,000 square feet that will be operating fully by 2009, Gov. Chris Gregoire said. Workers there will finish assembling 787 landing gear before delivering it to Boeing’s Everett factory.
“I am gratified that they selected Washington as the place to locate their assembly business,” Gregoire said. “Messier Dowty’s expansion in our state is another important piece of our thriving aerospace industry.”
Messier Dowty already operates an engineering office in Kent that employs 40 people.
Details on the new plant weren’t available Tuesday. The company has not projected how many people will end up working there, said Michelle Zharley, a spokeswoman for the state’s Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development.
The company has, however, told state officials that it is looking at establishing a smaller, temporary facility to work out of until the permanent plant is complete, she said.
Messier Dowty has not yet settled on that permanent location, said John Monroe, who heads aerospace industry programs for the Snohomish County Economic Development Council.
Still, he said, local officials are “ecstatic” about the announcement.
“We’ve been working with these guys since March ‘05,” Monroe said.
According to Gregoire, state and local officials worked together to woo Messier Dowty.
Together they did “an outstanding job in making this decision easier,” said Luigi Mattia, a Messier Dowty vice president, in a statement issued by the governor’s office.
Messier Dowty is a subsidiary of the French SAFRAN Group. Its sister company, Messier Bugatti, last year moved into a new Everett plant, where it will build components for the 787’s wheels, brakes and related systems.
Reporter Bryan Corliss: 425-339-3454 or corliss@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
