Spirit AeroSystems “expects near-term production disruptions, including delivery impacts” following tornado damage to its Wichita, Kan., site, the company said Monday.
Spirit is a major supplier on many Boeing Co. aircraft.
Early assessments of the Wichita facility indicate “damage is primarily limited to infrastructure, including buildings and utilities, and that production equipment appears to be largely unaffected,” Spirit said in a press statement.
Operations at Spirit are suspended through Tuesday. The company is working on a recovery plan.
Jeff Turner, Spirit CEO, said the aerospace supplier was thankful no employees were injured in the storm.
“We are also working closely with our customers to minimize the expected delivery impacts,” he said.
Spirit sent out this update over Twitter on Monday. The company said it’s making “good progress” with a recovery plan, restoring power to one production building and working to clear debris from the facilities.
Boeing spokesman Larry Wilson noted that the jet maker has its normal “cushion” of parts on hand to continue aircraft assembly in the near-term. But it is still too early to determine how the damage at Spirit will disrupt aircraft production overall at Boeing.
“We’re working closely with Spirit to assess the situation,” Wilson said.
Boeing’s defense site in Wichita also was damaged in the storm. The company said the site would remain closed through Monday.
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