International aerospace company to open production facility in Stillwater; creates more than 500 jobs
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Today in Farnborough, UK, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin joined ASCO Industries in announcing that it will be opening a U.S. production facility in Stillwater, Oklahoma. ASCO is a world-class supplier in the aerospace industry in the design and manufacturing of high-lift structures, complex mechanical assemblies and major functional components for aircraft.
ASCO purchased the former Mercury Marine facility that consolidated operations with its Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, plant and closed its doors in December of 2011. The Stillwater plant will oversee machining, heat and surface treatment and assembly of complex machined parts made from titanium, steel and aluminum. It’s anticipated that at full production, the facility will employee more than 500 people. The site is ASCO’s second U.S. location, with a design center located in Mulkiteo, Washington.
“We chose to locate our operations in Stillwater because of its convenient location, attractive workforce, and extensive training and research capabilities,” said Christian Boas, CEO for ASCO Industries. “Stillwater is centrally located, with appropriate access to ASCO’s customers in Americas. Important assets that will support our growth and success are Oklahoma State University with its reputation and well known specialists in relevant research fields as well as the state of the art Meridian Technology Center for training.”
Stillwater is home to the regions finest educational and training institutions with 48% of the residents earning at least a bachelor’s degree making Stillwater’s population the highest educated workforce in Oklahoma. The City of Stillwater is a progressive community dedicated to economic growth, with the addition of the ASCO positions over 1,000 jobs have been created or retained in Stillwater within the lastyear.
“ASCO is a top 100 international manufacturer in the aerospace industry. The Citybelieves in partnerships and welcomes this joint venture between ASCO and Stillwater. The Stillwater Industrial Foundation was instrumental in securing this project through land transactions and access points to the facility,” said Lisa Navrkal, President/CEO of the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce. “This is a tremendous economic impact not only for our community but also the State of Oklahoma. ASCO’s facility will help meet the needs of their North American clients and will allow them to establish a state of the art lean manufacturing facility.”
ASCO will begin a gradual hiring process starting in September, with full production anticipated by spring 2014. Meridian Technology Center is working closely with ASCO to provide customized career training for employees through the product development and machining program. Space for interviews and job fairs, development of safety plans and safety training, and training space while the plant is being designed will be provided.
Oklahoma State University has a nationally ranked aerospace engineering program, featuringtop-notch faculty and facilities. OSU offers students hands-on experience and the opportunity to work with NASA, government and industry. The university is taking a leadership role in unmanned aerial systems, where it has the first(and currently only) UAS degree option at the graduate level in the nation. The program goes beyond flight training; it provides students with a recognizedemphasis in instruction and research and supplies them with hands-on analysis, design, construction and flight testing of UAS platforms.