In a recent meeting between Leonardo and unions at the Unindustria headquarters in Rome, it was confirmed that the installation line for the AW609 aircraft will be installed in the Grottaglie plant in Taranto. This tiltrotor aircraft combines features of both a helicopter and an airplane. However, due to decreased demand from Boeing for fuselage production, particularly central sections manufactured in composite in Grottaglie, Leonardo is considering using an ordinary redundancy fund to manage the lower demand associated with the Boeing program. The company is exploring options such as temporary closure of the production line or slowing down production to adapt to the new circumstances.
The unions, including Fim, Fiom, and Uilm, were present during the meeting along with Antonio Liotti, director of Human Resources from Leonardo. The company expressed its commitment to revitalizing the Grottaglie hub by diversifying its production beyond Boeing 787 fuselages. A key part of this plan is bringing a second assembly line for the AW609 convertiplane to Grottaglie, alongside the existing line in Philadelphia, USA.
While negotiations are ongoing between Leonardo and unions to address economic implications of production changes, it was confirmed that focus will be on the AW609 aircraft. However, adjustments need to be made to align production levels with new plans communicated by Boeing due to decreased demand for fuselage recalls for central sections manufactured in composite in Grottaglie. The unions have highlighted this reduction in forecasted fuselage recalls necessitating a reevaluation of production processes at the site linked to 787 program.
In upcoming meetings on July 15th including one with union representatives at Unindustria headquarters and another with workers at Grottaglie plant, Leonardo aims to reach comprehensive agreements that address challenges and opportunities presented by changes in production at their plants.
Overall, these changes represent both challenges and opportunities for Leonardo’s operations at their Taranto plant as they adapt their operations beyond traditional Boeing 787 fuselage manufacturing into expanding into other areas of aircraft manufacturing such as tiltrotors like AW609 convertiplane
