Continental Motors To Build Sprawling $70 Million Engine Factory in Alabama

In a significant move that points to sky-high confidence in the market for piston aero engines, Continental Motors said it will build a state-of-the-art factory in Mobile, Alabama, as part of a three-year global investment plan that is intended to take the storied company’s “manufacturing, customer service and engineering infrastructure to the next level.”

Continental said it plans to equip the 225,000-square-foot factory with top-caliber manufacturing equipment along with a special area dedicated to evaluating new manufacturing techniques, including additive manufacturing and automation technologies. Total investment in Alabama will reach $70 million, the company said.

“Continental Motors has been supported by its excellent team members and the community of Mobile, Alabama, for over 50 years,” said Rhett Ross, President and CEO of Continental Motors. “We are pleased today to announce a renewed partnership with all to secure the company’s future for another 100 years.”

The engine maker plans to break ground on the new factory and corporate headquarters this year and start engine production there in 2019. The upgraded manufacturing space will replace 11 buildings, many in use since the 1940s or earlier, across 44 acres at the Mobile Aeroplex.

Plans also call for the creation of new manufacturing facilities in China. Continental is owned by China’s AVIC aviation consortium.