Howmet to expand capacity in Tennessee

Pittsburgh-based aircraft components maker Howmet Aerospace Inc. will expand the manufacturing capacity at its plant in Morristown, Tennessee, according to an economic development agency in that state.

Howmet focuses on the production of jet engine components, aerospace fastening systems and airframe structural components, which can be made from aluminum, high-temp nickel/stainless and titanium alloys.

The firm seeks scrap grades of the alloys it uses, writing in its 2024 environmental, social and governance (ESG) report, “Approximately 60 percent of the alloy content we use is made from recycled materials, minimizing the need to purchase mined virgin elementals. Some alloys contain up to 100 percent reverted or recycled materials.”

A mid-June announcement by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) is light on details for the capital expenditures product, however it indicates Howmet and the agency announced the project during the Paris Air Show.

According to the TNECD, the project will result in the creation of an additional 217 new jobs on top of another 50 new positions for Morristown announced by Howmet last July.

“Howmet Aerospace’s Morristown operations play a critical role in enabling the next generation of quieter, cleaner more efficient engines and power generation,” says Merrick Murphy, president of engine products for Howmet Aerospace. “We couldn’t be more excited to continue to grow in East Tennessee with the assistance of our tremendous state, local and regional partners."

Howmet Aerospace employs more than 1,000 people in Hamblen County, Tennessee, making it one of the largest employers in the region.

“Thank you to our original partners—the company, the city of Morristown, Hamblen County, TVA [power provider Tennessee Valley Authority) and our state legislature—for helping bring this expansion to fruition," TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter says. "Howmet Aerospace is expanding for the second time in less than a year because of the relationships formed during the recruitment process, and we are honored to join in announcing new jobs for one of Hamblen County’s top employers."