Boeing Awards Titanium Forging Contract to India’s Bharat Forge

Boeing announced it has signed a multi-year contract with Bharat Forge of India to supply titanium forgings for wing components for the Next-Generation 737 and 737 MAX. Under the agreement, Bharat Forge will begin supplying pre-machined forgings from its facilities in Pune and Baramati to Boeing in the first quarter of 2016. The titanium parts will be heat-treated, shaped in a forging press, and machined by Bharat Forge before being shipped to Boeing Portland for finish machining into components. The components then will be installed in the Next- Generation 737 and 737 MAX wings at the Final Assembly plant in Renton, Wash.

“We are pleased to welcome Bharat Forge into our supply chain as they have an impressive record of performance across many industries,” said Kent Fisher, vice president and general manager, Supplier Management, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Our discussions with Bharat Forge Chairman and Managing Director Baba Kalyani and his leadership team leading up to this agreement have demonstrated not only a high level of technical expertise, but also an understanding of the need to meet aviation market requirements for affordability.”

The contract reinforces the Boeing supply chain strategy to expand our forging supply base through partnering with high performance companies like Bharat Forge. This reduces risk and introduces new players into our supply chain to ensure capacity and competitive cost, Fisher said. Boeing currently has forging contracts with suppliers in Asia, Europe, Russia, and North America and will continue to add new sources of forgings around the world.

“This contract demonstrates our accelerating engagement with Indian suppliers to scale-up aerospace manufacturing aligned with the Prime Minister’s ‘Make in India’ initiative,” said Pratyush Kumar, president, Boeing India.

“The partnership with Boeing highlights our capabilities in titanium forging and our unwavering commitment to offer high end technology and tangible value in the aerospace sector,” said Kalyani. “We have mastered the stringent process requirements for titanium forgings and will be supplying critical forgings for wing components in one of Boeing’s high volume products. This also confirms our resolve to meet the aspirations of the ‘Make in India’ drive.”