Australian aerospace company Ferra Engineering to expand in Oklahoma

PARIS, 20 June 2013. Ferra Engineering CEO Mark Sherrer, together with Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin at the Paris Air Show, announced plans to expand into a new location in Grove, Okla. The company expects to employ 20 workers at the new site and anticipates significant growth and expansion opportunities.

“Ferra chose to expand to Oklahoma because its central location enables us to easily provide service to our customer base on both coasts and international markets,” says Sherrer. “Oklahoma’s competitive cost structure, business friendly environment, and strong existing aerospace supply chain made it a natural choice.”

Ferra Engineering is an engineering company that specializes in the custom design, manufacture, assembly, and test of aerospace structures and sub-systems. It also produces medical devices for the healthcare industry, as well as components for renewable energy systems.

“Oklahoma is one of the premiere destinations for aerospace business in the entire world. With the experience, expertise and infrastructure in place, we see the potential for even greater growth,” says Governor Fallin. “This announcement is a testament to the great business climate in our state that makes Oklahoma the go-to destination for great companies like Ferra Engineering.”

An Australian company, Ferra serves the international market, with more than 70 percent of their business being attributed to exports. Founded in 1992, Ferra is now one of the largest independently owned Australian manufacturers servicing the aerospace and defense industries in the world.

Ferra supplies leading aerospace companies such as Airbus, BAE, Boeing, EADS, GE Aviation, Thales, Goodrich, Lockheed Martin, Marvin Engineering, Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon, and Rolls-Royce.

Key projects the company has worked on include the F-35 Lighting II, the Airbus A380, the Eurocopter TIGER and NH90, and the Boeing 747, 757, 767, F-18, CH-47, P-8, and JDAM ER.

Recent Ferra project wins include:

2013 - Ferra Engineering receives Boeing JDAM contract Boeing selected Ferra to build wing kits that triple the effective range of the Joint Direct Attack Munition Extended Range (JDAM ER), allowing aircrews to deploy the weapon from beyond the range of an air defense system. The Royal Australian Air Force became Boeing’s first JDAM ER customer in 2011.

2012 - Ferra receives Lockheed Martin MH-60R contract Lockheed Martin selected Ferra as one of two companies to build 120 shipsets for the MH-60R maritime helicopter, known as the Romeo. Ferra and LMI Aerospace of Missouri will split the MH-60R work worth an anticipated value of approximately US$12 million. The shipsets include weapons pylons for the Romeos’ left and right sides and mission kit assemblies.

7/24/2012 - Ferra receives Boeing P-8 contract Boeing awarded a contract to Ferra Engineering to manufacture parts and assemblies to support various flight and mission systems for the P-8A Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft.

4/19/2012 - Ferra named Boeing 2011 International Supplier of the Year The Supplier of the Year awards are based on quality, on-time delivery, post-delivery support, cost, and demonstrated ability to anticipate and respond to changing requirements.