Boeing Commercial Airplanes has initiated a new, long-term supply contract with India’s Bharat Forge for forged and machined titanium components for wing structures. The value of the contract has not been reported, but the deliveries will begin in Q1 2016.
Bharat Forge Ltd., headquartered at Pune, India, is among the world’s largest forging organizations, with operations in Europe and the U.S., and distribution worldwide. Its products cover automotive, industrial, and energy markets as well as aerospace.
“We are pleased to welcome Bharat Forge into our supply chain as they have an impressive record of performance across many industries,” stated Kent Fisher, Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ v.p. and general manager-supplier management. Fisher added that the Bharat contract reinforces the OEM’s strategy of expanding its forging supply base worldwide.
Boeing, like its rival Airbus, has a number of long-term supply contracts for forged parts, as well as for titanium parts, with suppliers including Alcoa, ATI, and Russia’s VSMPO-Avisma Corp.
The components will be closed-die forged, heat treated, and rough machined at plants in Pune and Baramati, then shipped to Boeing’s 737 operations in Renton, WA. Finish machining will be done there prior to assembly as part of the wing structures for the 737 Next-Generation and 737 MAX jets.
The 737 Next-Generation is the current version of that long-standing series, and the 737 MAX is a forthcoming update to the narrow-body jet series, to be introduced by Southwest Airlines in 2017. Boeing has orders for more than 2,500 of the new jets.
Bharat Forge chairman Baba Kalyani said the Boeing deal “highlights our capabilities in titanium forging and our unwavering commitment to offer high-end technology and tangible value in the aerospace sector.
“We have mastered the stringent process requirements for titanium forgings and will be supplying critical forgings for wing components in one of Boeing’s high volume products,” he added.
