Daher confirms long-term lease agreement for Stuart, Florida, aerostructures facility

Daher (Nantes, France) announces it has received approval to extend the lease duration of its U.S. aerostructures facility at Witham Field in Stuart, Florida. This enables Daher to continue current production of large airframe components as a Tier 1 supplier for the North American marketplace. The company notes it is also positioned to pursue future development in evolving the facility as an aviation industrial center of excellence. The Witham Field factory is on land owned by Martin County, and the lease was approved by Martin County’s Board of County Commissioners.

The Stuart facility is recognized for its capabilities in the assembly of large, complex metallic and composite aerostructures, such as wing and fuselage assemblies. This complements Daher’s well-established competence as a designer, manufacturer, installer and repairer of aerostructures that incorporate various materials, including thermoplastic composites and other materials.

Daher took over the Stuart plant in July 2022 and currently employs 700 people at the facility, which covers approximately 440,000 square feet of production and support activities across a 44-acre site. Since the acquisition, Daher has committed millions of dollars in teams training and upskilling — as well as for equipment and inventory improvements — to further enhance the quality and output of its locally produced aerostructures and position the Stuart plant as a high-performing partner to support U.S. aerospace activity.

The newly approved lease at Witham Field provides the potential for additional enhancements at the Daher site, as well as opportunities for business growth. This includes Daher’s intention to create a final assembly line at the location to build the company’s own TBM/Kodiak turboprop-powered aircraft families, introducing the first production of state-of-the-art airplanes in Martin County.

“As a family-owned company, Daher places a high value on business development and employment stability in the regions where we’re present, and we look forward to a beneficial partnership with Martin County, the city of Stuart and the state of Florida for many years to come,” says Didier Kayat, the Daher Group’s chairman and CEO.

Kayat adds that Stuart is strategically located in the southeast U.S., where the Daher Group is expanding the North American business volume for its four divisions: Aircraft, Industry, Industrial Services and Logistics. In addition to the Stuart facility, Daher is present at five other locations in North America: Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale in Florida; Mobile, Alabama; Sandpoint, Idaho; and Nogales, Mexico.

Daher currently employs more than 1,200 people in North America out of the French-based company’s overall international headcount of 13,000. Total revenue reported by Daher in 2023 was €1.65 billion (approximately $1.7 billion), of which 35% was generated by its North American operations. 

“As we look to the future, the Witham Field location will offer a full scope of employment opportunities, ranging from aerostructures and aircraft assemblers to positions in quality and management,” says Stephen J. Stasiak, Daher’s general manager at the Stuart facility. “The excellent support that Daher receives at the local and regional levels is a true motivator for us as we look to the future.”

An example of the local-level support is Martin County’s REACH vocational center that is taking shape next door to the Stuart factory, which can provide entry-level training in the aviation industry’s production framework for new employee candidates at the Daher operation.