Doncasters (Hall 4 Stand G10) has been selected by AgustaWestland to produce exhaust kits for the US101 helicopter. The kit includes pipes and ducting in nickel and titanium alloys. The UK-based metal component manufacturer is manufacturing such kits for the EH101, of which the US101 is the U.S. presidential transport version.

At its Oxford, Alabama factory, Doncasters has launched a $20 million investment in a casting center of excellence. The project will see manufacturing capacity for equiaxed vacuum casting quadrupled by 2010. The site is currently a manufacturer of air and vacuum melt castings in super alloys and stainless steel.

On the Boeing 787, Doncasters’ Bochum, Germany factory is producing directionally solidified low-pressure blades for the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine. On the Airbus A400M military transport, Doncasters is manufacturing nickel-based erosion shields for the Ratier-Figeac FH386 propellers’ leading edges. There are four eight-blade FH386 propellers on an A400M.

This year, Doncasters is welcoming 10 graduates of its two-year training program. They will undertake four and six-month projects within different disciplines such as commercial, manufacturing and engineering. In addition, Doncasters is continuing to train its staff to Kaizen lean manufacturing and Six Sigma techniques. More than 500 staff in both manufacturing and commercial roles have been trained to date. Doncasters employs some 4,700 people at about 20 sites across Europe, the U.S. and Mexico.