Honeywell Completes Powerhouse Construction For New Airbus Assembly Complex

Built and Operated by Honeywell, Powerhouse Will Control Utilities for the First Airbus Assembly Line in the US

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Nov 12, 2014, 01:00 ET

MOBILE, Ala., Nov. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today unveiled the recently completed powerhouse for Airbus' A320 Final Assembly Line in Mobile, Ala., the aviation company's inaugural manufacturing operation in the United States. The new building houses the technology and personnel needed to provide utilities for the entire campus — electricity, heating and cooling, chilled and drinking water, compressed air and sewage handling. It is the first support facility to open on the Mobile campus.

"This is a world-class facility worthy of a world-class aircraft manufacturing site," said Ulrich Weber, vice president, Final Assembly Line USA, Airbus. "It's exciting to have reached this milestone in establishing the A320 assembly line in Mobile."

Honeywell led the design and construction of the powerhouse, and is responsible for managing and maintaining the facility as part of a 10-year service agreement. This includes onsite support as well as remote monitoring to help operators quickly identify and address issues that could cause disruptions. The company guarantees that all systems will run within strict limits to help maintain critical services for the assembly line.

When in full operation, Honeywell plans to employ five full-time technicians to supervise the powerhouse. In addition, almost 90 Alabama tradespeople worked on the building during peak construction. And the project generated more than 80,000 total man hours of work, helping create and sustain jobs in the community and state.

"This facility was delivered on time and on budget — in less than 18 months," said John Rajchert, president, Honeywell Building Solutions. "The timeline and complexity of the operation required expert project management, and coordination between all the companies involved. We're thrilled to open the Airbus Powerhouse, and look forward to supporting Airbus and its operations in Mobile over the next decade."

Along with providing utilities to the campus, the powerhouse was built to Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards. More than 20 percent of the building material was sourced locally, for example, and approximately 75 percent of construction waste will be recycled to help meet LEED certification requirements.

Inside the facility are transformers that distribute power from the local electric company to the manufacturing lines and other buildings. In addition, Honeywell ComfortPoint^™ Open will manage the heating and cooling hardware, helping optimize comfort and energy efficiency. The powerhouse also contains the fire-protection equipment needed to safeguard Airbus employees and the assembly operation.

Honeywell's flagship building management system, Enterprise Buildings Integrator, will monitor all comfort, life safety and energy management technology. It will track performance and utility consumption trends throughout the complex as well.

This project is the latest in Honeywell's work with Airbus, which spans 45 years. Along with providing construction and facility services, Honeywell has designed and supplied critical components for aircrafts and helicopters. Honeywell technology was in the first A300 plane, and the company has delivered advanced avionics, and safety and mechanical systems to Airbus since.

For more information on Honeywell's smart building, energy and service capabilities, follow HoneywellBuild on Twitter or link to the Building Solutions website.

Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.