Boeing has teamed up with leading automotive seating supplier Adient to establish Adient Aerospace, a joint venture that will develop, manufacture and sell a portfolio of seating products to airlines and aircraft leasing companies.
According to Boeing’s official statement, Adient Aerospace’s operational headquarters, technology center and initial production plant will be located in Kaiserslautern, Germany, while its initial customer service center will be based in Seattle, Washington.
Kevin Schemm, chief financial officer for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said the newly established entity will aim to address the aviation industry’s needs for more capacity in the seating category, superior quality and reliable on-time performance.
“Seats have been a persistent challenge for our customers, the industry and Boeing, and we are taking action to help address constraints in the market. Adient Aerospace will leverage Boeing’s industry leadership and deep understanding of customer needs and technical requirements, to provide a superior seating product for airlines and passengers around the world,” Mr Schemm said.
“This joint venture supports Boeing’s vertical integration strategy to develop in-house capabilities and depth in key areas to offer better products, grow services and generate higher lifecycle value.”
Adient chairman and CEO Bruce McDonald, said Adient Aerospace will benefit from the world-class engineering teams and innovative cultures at both companies, as well as shared expertise in managing complex, global supply chains.
“Adient has a strong set of transferable competencies that will offer a unique opportunity to create value for our company and for Boeing, our shareholders and the broader commercial aircraft market,” Mr McDonald continued.
“To enhance the customer experience for passengers, airlines and commercial airplane manufacturers, we will apply our unmatched expertise for comfort and craftsmanship along with our reputation for operational excellence.”
Under the agreement between the two parties, both companies will have representation on Adient Aerospace’s board of directors, with Adient to hold the majority stake in the company (50.01%).
