Solvay and Boeing extend aircraft materials partnership to 2020

Solvay and The Boeing Company have announced that they are extending their partnership for the supply of adavnced materials for use in passenger aircraft through to 2020.

Boeing uses high performance, structural and composite materials from Solvay to lightweight its aircraft for legacy programmes including the 737, 747 and 777 as well as current and future platforms, including B787, 737MAX and the 777X.

The extended contract includes delivering on specific supplier initiatives, as well as long-term growth opportunities with current and future qualified Solvay products.

"Our composite technologies provide the right balance of sustainable performance and competitiveness to meet the industry’s evolving needs," said Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, Chief Executive of Solvay. "We look forward to a continued and mutually beneficial relationship with Boeing."

As a result of its recent acquisition of Cytec, Solvay is the world’s second largest manufacturer of composite materials for the aerospace industry.  

Its newly created ‘Composite Materials Global Business Unit’ provides technologically advanced lightweighting materials that it says address the requirements of aerospace manufacturers to reduce fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and maintenance time.

Solvay supplies a range of products for primary and secondary structure applications, such as flaps, doors, fairings and ailerons. Products include CYCOM prepregs, adhesives and surfacing materials that offer high toughness and strength, as well as tailor-made process materials solutions that it says lower manufacturing costs and reduce time through process repeatability.