EVERETT – A French aerospace company that will supply wheels and brakes for Boeing’s 787 has decided to set up shop in Everett.
Messier-Bugatti has signed a lease on 25,000-square-foot facility on Hardeson Road in south Everett, state and local economic development officials said Monday.
The move is “the first of many such decisions we hope will occur,” Snohomish County Economic Development Council President Deborah Knutson said.
The council has been trying to entice 787 suppliers to set up facilities close to the Boeing Co.’s Everett factory, where they could assemble the components they are responsible for and deliver them to the Boeing assembly line.
Messier-Bugatti is the first to commit to such a plan.
“We’re obviously excited about the announcement,” Knutson said. State and local officials “worked hard to land the 787 final assembly plant in Everett knowing full well that it would serve as a catalyst for future aerospace industry growth.”
A Messier-Bugatti manager could not be reached for comment Monday on the company’s plans. Knutson said the company has suggested it will hire about 50 people for the Everett facility.
Local officials said the company’s new operation includes manufacturing space, as well as offices and a shipping and receiving area.
The company, which is part of the French Snecma group, was named a 787 supplier in November. The company will design and manufacture the wheels, brakes and control units for Boeing’s new plane.
Messier-Bugatti also supplies landing gear for Boeing’s 767 and longer-range 777 jets, and for its C-17 military transports.
The Snohomish County EDC has been in talks with about a half-dozen 787 suppliers that could also end up with facilities in Everett, Knutson said.
“It’s been a year of working together, showing them sites and staying in touch,” she said. “They’re trying to figure out their business cases … what makes the most sense.”
Boeing says it will hire between 800 and 1,200 workers to assemble the 787 in Everett, starting in 2006. It also has established its 787 design team here, and last year it said its Everett-based Interiors Responsibility Center would coordinate development of the new plane’s cabin.
About 1,000 engineers from its major partners have been in Everett and Seattle over the past year working with their Boeing counterparts to nail down design details. They are expected to head back home this summer, as Boeing starts placing orders for the first 787 parts.
Reporter Bryan Corliss: 425-339-3454 or corliss@heraldnet.com.
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