INDUSTRY NEWS
Airbus takes over Spirit AeroSystems sites
On 8 December 2025, Airbus SE closed the transaction with Spirit AeroSystems for the acquisition of industrial assets dedicated to its commercial aircraft programmes.
“ This milestone marks a special moment for all of us at Airbus. We are proud to welcome over 4,000 new colleagues, with whom we will embark on a new chapter in our industrial operations by taking on activities of critical importance to our commercial aircraft programmes,” said Florent Massou, Executive Vice President Operations for the Commercial Aircraft business of Airbus.
Airbus has taken ownership of the following former Spirit AeroSystems’ assets:
■ The site of Kinston, North Carolina, U. S.( A350 fuselage sections), joining as Airbus Aerosystems Kinston.
GM to invest $ 250M in its Parma Metal Center facility
General Motors has confirmed a new US $ 250-million commitment in its Parma Metal Center in Ohio, USA. This will enable production of sheet metal stampings and assemblies to support the multi-billion-dollar product allocations announced at Orion Assembly( MI), Spring Hill Manufacturing( TN) and Fairfax Assembly( KS) in 2025.
“ With this new commitment, GM’ s total manufacturing investments for 2025 now approach US $ 5.5 billion, underscoring our aggressive commitment to domestic manufacturing and meeting customer demand across our ICE and EV portfolio,” outlined General Motors.
“ The investment in Parma Metal Center is a direct result of our commitment to expand our U. S. production capacity and complements our efforts to strengthen the company’ s domestic supply chain, ensuring that we can continue to deliver high-quality vehicles. By leveraging our flexible manufacturing footprint, we remain competitive and well positioned to meet customer demand,” it continued.
Parma Metal Center has the capacity to produce over 100 million parts annually. Its manufacturing capabilities include metal stamping. It processes more than 400 tons of steel daily, producing parts for most of GM’ s North American-built products.
Image: @ Airbus.
A350 flying display at the Dubai Airshow 2025.
■ The site of Saint-Nazaire, France( A350 fuselage sections), joining as Airbus Atlantic Cadréan.
■ The site of Casablanca, Morocco( A321 and A220 components), joining as Airbus Atlantic Maroc Aero.
■ The production of A220 wings and A220 mid-fuselage in Belfast, Northern Ireland, becoming Airbus Belfast.
A Parma Metal Center team member stands in front of a sheet metal transfer press on the plant floor.
Workforce development and training
“ Our recent commitments aren’ t just about machines and materials— they’ re about people. We continue to prioritise workforce development and help ensure our team members have the skills needed for today’ s changing manufacturing environment. At Parma Metal Center, we’ re equipping our team members with the knowledge and tools they need to work alongside advanced technology and equipment,” added GM. GM’ s comprehensive approach to workforce development— from continued learning opportunities, investments in STEM / STEAM education and apprenticeship programmes— is also helping to provide opportunities for tomorrow’ s career seekers. n
www. gm. com
■ The production of wing components for A320 and A350 in Prestwick, Scotland, becoming an affiliate named Prestwick Aerosystems.
■ The production of A220 pylons, which will be transferred out of Wichita, Kansas, U. S. to the site of Saint-Eloi, Toulouse, France.
Airbus receives compensation of US $ 439 million, with the typical purchase price adjustments and subject to customary post-closing review. In addition, Airbus receives certain amounts to settle liabilities under the provision of the purchase agreements. n
www. airbus. com
Doors and frames in the spotlight
From 2-3 December 2025, Salvagnini Italia hosted‘ Doors & Frames’, an event for around 100 executives and managers from the doors and frames industry( representing over 20 countries). The event highlighted the dynamics reshaping the market and shared, in an expert setting, visions, operational priorities and decision-making criteria to guide investment and automation roadmaps.
“ The programme centred on a dialogue around the challenges that now drive decisionmaking in the industry: high mix and batch variability; compressed lead times; increasing quality and traceability requirements; shortages of specialised skills and the need to protect margins and efficiency. It also presented exclusive insights into our proprietary solutions aimed at making processes more robust and manageable across the entire flow, from planning to material handling and assembly,” explained the company.
Live demonstrations in a production environment showed participants some configurations developed for the sector’ s needs. Three FMS systems were showcased for door production, frame production and combined door-and-frame production. n
www
. salvagninigroup. com
10 | ismr. net | ISMR February 2026