The Italo-British helicopter company AgustaWestland has expanded its production capacity in the United States with the addition of a second assembly line at its plant here.
The new assembly line will produce the AW139 medium-twin engine helicopter for which there is a growing worldwide demand, especially in the USA.
AgustaWestland - a subsidiary of the Italian aeronautics, space and defense giant Finmeccanica - also produces the AW139 at a plant in Varese, northern Italy.
''The decision to expand our plant here with a second assembly line demonstrates the commitment which AgustaWestland and Finmeccanica have towards increasing our presence and investment in the United States, where we already employ over 2,000 people,'' Finmeccanica President and CEO Pier Francesco Guarguaglini said at the inauguration of the new production facility.
''The American market is one of the most competitive in the world and we want to uphold our tradition of success here, continuing to offer our excellent products,'' he added.
AgustaWestland has been in the Philadelphia area since 1980 and in 1986 it built a 7,000sqm facility to service its fleet of commercial helicopters in the USA.
The Philadelphia plant also offers pilot training services.
In 2005, AgustaWestland won a contract to supply the US military with US 101 helicopters.
Finmeccanica is a partner in top American and European projects including the Joint Strike Fighter, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the C-27J army cargo plane, Eurofighter and Tornado.
