Abu Dhabi-UAE.  EDGE Group entity, EPI, the cornerstone of precision engineering in the UAE’s aerospace and defence industry, today announced the extension of its existing machining contract with Boeing to perform in-house metallic machining of vertical fin rib assemblies on Boeing 787 Dreamliner commercial aircraft.

By leveraging its industry-leading expertise and the advanced manufacturing facilities at Abu Dhabi’s Tawazun Industrial Park, EPI will provide a full scope of services, including machining, surface treatment and enhancement, painting, equipping and sub-assemblies. The company has been performing this work for Boeing since 2020.

The announcement was made at Dubai Airshow 2021, which runs until 18 November at Dubai World Central.

Speaking at the occasion, Christian Ziehe, CEO of EPI, said: “Since expanding our facilities to support the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, EPI has delivered high-quality machining and manufacturing for Boeing and its customers. We are proud to extend this partnership and look forward to continue proving the validity and prominence of local machining capabilities. As a dedicated aerospace technology and systems manufacturer, these agreements solidify our place in the GCC aviation industry and signify a rapidly growing infrastructure.”

EPI will machine five different metallic rib assemblies for vertical fins for use on 787 aircraft, with the processed parts then undergoing surface treatment and other processes at the EPI plant.

Established in April 2019, the plant is part of an industrial collaboration agreement between Tawazun Economic Council (Tawazun), Boeing, and EPI to establish a processing plant expanding EPI’s production capabilities, moving beyond machining and into aircraft assembly for aerospace original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

EPI manufactures high-quality complex engineering components for the defence, aerospace and oil & gas (O&G) sectors, and is equipped with advanced capabilities and cutting tools to carry out manufacturing engineering, machining, surface treatment, coating, repairs and assemblies. The company is part of the Mission Support cluster of EDGE, an advanced technology group for defence and beyond.