South Piedmont's recent receipt of $575,000 for its Aerospace & Precision Manufacturing project adds momentum to the City of Monroe and Union County's position as an aerospace manufacturing hub.

The grant will be used to establish an industry-led training program to incorporate modules specific to the aerospace industry culture and provide technical training in integrated systems technology, mechatronics, and machining. SPCC will use the money it receives to purchase equipment to train aerospace manufacturing employees.

Most of the grant funds will be used to purchase a mechatronics machine that ties together a number of functions, including programmable logic controllers, pneumatics, motion controls, hydraulics and robotics. "This grant will allow SPCC to meet the higher level training needs of local companies and prepare a well trained workforce for new and expanding companies," stated Dr John McKay, SPCC President.

The community received more good news when ATI Allvac recently received a National Institute of Science grant in the amount of $754,976 to from the US Department of Commerce. The grant will be used to help ATI Allvac develop new metals through heating and forming titanium and super alloys for aviation, energy, transportation and defense. ATI Allvac is a leader in the manufacture of nickel and titanium alloys for the aircraft and defense industries.

SPCC students can become certified in 10-15 weeks in aerospace manufacturing. Specific options include integrated systems technology, advanced machining and an avionics track. The avionics track will focus on AC/DC electricity for aviation, general aviation and electronics.

Monroe's aerospace manufacturing cluster has been strengthened with investments by firms such as ATI Allvac, Cyril Bath Company, and Goodrich Corporation, and most recently Turbomeca Manufacturing. Representatives of these companies continually work with local officials to improve the skill-sets of the local workforce.

Aerospace workers understand that all they manufacture must be perfect, working in the highest of tolerance levels. SPCC's program will offer students training in meeting precise tolerances, testing, inspection, measurement, documentation and traceability.

Non-destructive testing will be a component of SPCC's expanded training program. This encompasses testing of materials strength through x-rays and other means in comparison to traditional impact tests that destroy substances.

SPCC's is also expanding its training in LEAN manufacturing, a process to better organize the workplace and eliminate waste.

Monroe has seen over $500 million in aerospace investment since 2002. Big breakthroughs in 2007 signaled our emergence as a national aerospace manufacturing destination. The City of Monroe Economic Development Commission enjoyed its most productive year - landing over $303 in manufacturing expansion. Two aerospace companies - an ATI Allvac expansion and Turbomeca Manufacturing's new plant accounted for $260 million of this total.

The momentum continues. The Monroe Economic Development Commission celebrated commitments of $105 million in 2008. The organization boosts an annual investment average of over $65 million.

Monroe targets the attraction of suppliers of larger manufacturers. Local officials hope to capitalize on Boeing's recent announcement of a $750 million aircraft assembly plant in North Charleston, SC. The community's aerospace sector is diversified, making everything from helicopter parts to fuselage components.

These achievements caught the eye of Expansion Solutions magazine, which designated Monroe as a top five aerospace manufacturing center in the US. More recently, CNN Money ranked Union County as the tenth best community in the nation for job growth; experiencing a 57.5% increase since 2000.

Twenty-six percent (26%) of Monroe's manufacturing workforce is in aerospace. In 2008, NC Secretary of Commerce Jim Fain proclaimed that Monroe had the highest geographic concentration of aerospace industry in North Carolina.

Monroe is home to 13 aerospace companies, representing 2,500 jobs. It is concentrated primarily around the Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport. The current expansion of the airport's runway to 7,000 feet will allow the largest of the corporate aircraft to now land and base here, positioning the airport as the primary reliever for Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

Inclusion of the Monroe Corporate Center in Foreign Trade Zone #57 will only enhance the industrial area's attractiveness, stimulating new capital investment and job creation. Building on these efforts is the vision of a 5,000-acre business park in eastern Union County by the Union County Partnership for Progress. This park will be poised to also attract aerospace companies.

Jim Carpenter, CCE is president of the Union County Chamber of Commerce .

The momentum continues.

The Monroe Economic Development Commission celebrated commitments of $105 million in 2008. The organization boosts an annual investment average of over $65 million. Monroe targets the attraction of suppliers of larger manufacturers. Local officials hope to capitalize on Boeing's recent announcement of a $750 million aircraft assembly plant in North Charleston, SC. The community's aerospace sector is diversified, making everything from helicopter parts to fuselage components.

These achievements caught the eye of Expansion Solutions magazine, which designated Monroe as a top five aerospace manufacturing center in the US. More recently, CNN Money ranked Union County as the tenth best community in the nation for job growth; experiencing a 57.5% increase since 2000. Twenty-six percent (26%) of Monroe's manufacturing workforce is in aerospace. In 2008, NC Secretary of Commerce Jim Fain proclaimed that Monroe had the highest geographic concentration of aerospace industry in North Carolina.