Spirit President and CEO Tom Gentile discusses the water recycling project during an event at Spirit's facility in Wichita, Kan.
WICHITA, KANSAS, NOVEMBER 15, 2016 -- Spirit AeroSystems Inc. announced the installation of a water recycling project designed to improve factory efficiencies and conserve water. Construction of a dedicated three-mile pipeline has been competed, allowing Spirit to begin purchasing up to 500 million gallons of recycled water per year from the City of Wichita for use in manufacturing aerospace structures.
To further improve its factory efficiencies and prepare for production rate increases, Spirit will begin purchasing more than a million gallons of recycled water daily, decreasing its total potable water usage by 70 percent.
"Advanced aerospace manufacturing requires that we continually improve and innovate to stay globally competitive," said Tom Gentile, Spirit AeroSystems president and chief executive officer. "Spirit's partnership with the City of Wichita produced an innovative water recycling solution that allows us to run our factory more efficiently while conserving up to 500 million gallons of water each year. We value Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell's leadership on this initiative and appreciate the support we have received from the entire city council."
"This project is symbiotically beneficial for everyone in our community," said Mayor Jeff Longwell. "We are thrilled to be able to support the crucial partnership that the city continues to have with Spirit. We are going to recycle water and safeguard our crucial water supply for years to come, while saving Spirit and taxpayer money. I thank the leadership at Spirit and the city council for having the vision to pursue this great opportunity."
Since 1998, Spirit has recycled more than 11 billion gallons of water using its internal reverse osmosis system, recycling on average two million gallons of water per day in 2016. The recycled water supply from the city will increase Spirit's total use of recycled water to more than three million gallons per day.
Spirit AeroSystems is one of the largest manufacturers of aerostructures in the world with work packages on all Airbus and Boeing aircraft currently on order.
About Spirit AeroSystems Inc.
Spirit AeroSystems designs and builds aerostructures for both commercial and defense customers. With headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, Spirit operates sites in the U.S., U.K., France and Malaysia. The company's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components for the world's premier aircraft. Spirit AeroSystems focuses on affordable, innovative composite and aluminum manufacturing solutions to support customers around the globe. More information is available at www.spiritaero.com.
