The Upper Austrian aerospace supplier FACC has announced extensive expansion plans for its site in St. Martin im Innkreis. With an investment of around €120 million, a new plant for large structural components will be built, which is expected to double the existing production capacity in this area.
State-of-the-art production facilities, specifically designed for the manufacture of elevators and rudders for international passenger aircraft, are being built on a 20.000-square-meter site. Construction is scheduled to begin at the end of 2026, with commissioning planned for mid-2028. This project is expected to create up to 300 new jobs in the region by the end of 2029, when full operation is reached.
The project is part of a comprehensive corporate strategy that envisages total investments of €350 million in new technologies and global site expansions by 2030. A key component of the new plant in St. Martin is a dedicated research area. Here, manufacturing processes for the next generation of commercial aircraft will be developed to ensure long-term competitiveness against global rivals. CEO Robert Machtlinger emphasizes that the decision to locate in Upper Austria was significantly influenced by the existing research and development infrastructure and the high level of expertise among the local workforce.
To remain competitive internationally and in light of Austria's high wage levels, FACC is focusing on end-to-end manufacturing with an extremely high degree of automation. The use of artificial intelligence and robot-assisted systems is expected to significantly increase process efficiency. This technological upgrade is considered a crucial factor in meeting the increasing production rates of major aircraft manufacturers. Furthermore, the direct connection to the existing Plant 3 will leverage logistical synergies and optimize the entire process chain.
Additional industry analyses underscore the necessity of this capacity expansion, as the order books of major OEMs such as Airbus and Boeing are full for the coming years. Demand for weight-optimized composite components is steadily increasing as the aerospace industry focuses on more powerful and efficient aircraft. With this site expansion, FACC is solidifying its position as one of the world's leading partners to the aerospace industry and securing its technological market leadership in aerostructures components for decades to come.