Embraer’s 75,000-sq-ft Engineering & Technology Center in Melbourne, Fla., which opened in September last year and is the first such facility for the company outside of Brazil, is now in full swing. The facility conducts engineering and development activities for both products and technology across Embraer’s business lines–airliners, executive aviation, defense and aerospace–though for the time being is focused on designing and building rapid prototype interiors for its executive jets and airliners. It is also building competence in cabin electronics systems, including obtaining STCs for optional equipment.

The center houses a laboratory for the development and testing of materials and interior components, including 3-D computer-aided design, computational fluid dynamics, finite element modeling, 3-D virtual reality center, prototype capabilities and sophisticated laboratories and test equipment.

Some 100 engineers are already working at the Melbourne facility, which is across the street from Embraer’s Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 final assembly facility and the Embraer Executive Jets Customer Center. Employment at the center is scheduled to double by the end of next year. Most of the employees are engineers, some highly experienced and others fresh out of college.

Embraer Executive Jets vice president of interior design Jay Beever is based at the center, and he and his design team are keeping the engineering staff quite busy. During AIN’s recent visit to the Melbourne center, the interiors prototyping staff were working on several modifications to Phenom and Legacy interiors, some of which could be announced this week at NBAA 2015, as well as bringing design concepts for the company’s new E2 regional jets to life. The latter included a full-scale mockup with a two-class airline passenger seating configuration.