PPG Celebrates 45th Anniversary of Alabama Aircraft Products Plant

The 45th anniversary of PPG Industries’ Huntsville, Alabama, facility was celebrated with an open house for employees and their families to tour the operations where aircraft windshields, windows and canopies are made. For nearly half a century, PPG and its employees have maintained leadership in the global aviation industry as well as in the Huntsville community.

It is a much different operation today, with greater efficiency and the ability to make larger and more complex parts, according to Plant Manager Tom Meyer.

“The biggest change since the plant opened is the ongoing transformation to a lean culture, which I would define as the continuing mission to remove waste from the workplace,” Meyer said. “Our transformation engages all employees to constantly look for opportunities to improve our process.”

Meyer cited several bright spots visible in the factory. “The most prominent is a work cell where we process parts for a commercial aircraft manufacturer. Through the efforts of the people in the work cell, we have been able to reduce lead times for select high-volume programs.”

A new window may require thousands of hours in design, development and qualification by PPG employees in Huntsville before it is certified for flight. On average, aircraft windows PPG makes today are significantly larger and more complex than those made decades ago.

“PPG has been able to maintain a leadership position in a highly competitive industry by continually securing new customers and new programs,” Meyer said.

He credited employees for their contributions to successes with lean and new program development. “It is a testament to the talent and dedication of the people who have worked here through nearly half a century that PPG continues to grow and meet the needs of the aerospace transparency industry.”

In addition to housing production operations, the PPG facility has employees involved in design, development, testing and certification of new windows as well as ongoing support of windows for aircraft operators.

Community involvement is important to PPG, the company says, and its support includes U.S. Space & Rocket Center Aviation Challenge program scholarships, University of Alabama-Huntsville Girls Day on Campus scholarships and donations to local public schools through Public Education Leadership Community grants of the PPG Industries Foundation that totaled more than $65,000 in 2013. PPG also provides community support through employee volunteerism grants that exceeded $30,000 in 2013, and it annually sponsors a community scholarship for a local high school graduate. The company and its employees rank among the largest financial supporters of the United Way of Madison County. PPG’s memberships include the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Alabama and North Alabama International Trade Association.

Community leaders and government officials joined PPG employees and their families in celebrating the Huntsville plant’s 45th anniversary. Speaking on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce was Robert Mayes, Chamber chairman of the board and CEO of BlueCreek Investment Partners. Attendees also heard from U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks and Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle.

PPG started construction of the Huntsville aircraft products plant in May 1968 on a 64-acre site and began production April 9, 1969, with about 100 employees. The first shipment was made May 27, 1969, of windshields for the Convair 340 commercial airliner, for which PPG still maintains tooling even though it has been years since it produced any of the windshields. Today, more than 1,000 different designs are made in any month from windshields for commercial airliners to helicopter windshields.