FACC inaugurates facility for lightweight aircraft components

After a 10-month construction period, the new FACC AG (Ried im Innkreis, Austria) Plant 6 went into operation in December 2021, manufacturing lightweight components for the cabin interiors of business jets and passenger aircraft. The important milestone was ceremonially inaugurated together with 400 invited guests and the entire Croatian workforce on June 17.

One of the many highlights was a helicopter show by Austrian aviation icon, Felix Baumgartner, who landed directly in front of the building and officially opened the new plant together CEO Robert Machtlinger, Pang Zhen, chairman of the Supervisory Board and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.  During the ceremony, FACC representatives, the Croatian prime minister the Austrian ambassador to Croatia and the Chinese ambassador underlined the strategic importance of the new location for FACC.

Infrastructure, the proximity to Zagreb, highly trained experts, universities in the surrounding area with highly qualified specialists in many fields as well as critical logistical connections to FACC’s corporate headquarters and its European customers were among the main reasons for the decision in favor of manufacturing cabin components for business jets and commercial aircraft in Jakovlje. “After the successful start with more than 170 employees, we plan to expand the workforce of the plant to around 600 employees within the next four years,” CEO Robert Machtlinger announced at the opening event.

The new FACC plant, an investment of approximately €15 million, was planned in close cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute (Munich, Germany). During the official opening of the plant, the next expansion phase of the site was announced; expansion stages 2 and 3, which FACC says will see a threefold increase in the size of the plant, will be started immediately.