Robinson Helicopter Co. (RHC) will break ground on a 50-percent expansion of its Torrance, Calif. factory later this year. The 260,000-sq-ft combination manufacturing plant, flight-test facility and delivery center will extend westward along the south side of Torrance Airport’s Runway 11/29, adding 130,000 sq ft. Robinson moved into the facility, purpose-built for helicopter manufacturing, in July 1994 after operating for nearly 20 years from a comparatively modest site at the airport’s northeast corner. Designed by Frank Robinson to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly, the factory is oriented such that with doors open at each end, the prevailing breezes off the nearby Pacific Ocean provide near-automatic climate control.
A Bump in the Road
The expansion project was delayed last year by a market downturn, according to Frank Robinson’s son, Kurt, v-p for product support. Interestingly, the younger Robinson attributed depressed sales last year to the strength of the U.S. dollar against other currencies and a worldwide economic recession much more than to the effects of September 11. “We view September 11 as a one-time, short-term event that, in fact, was followed by a surge in orders for us, especially from police agencies.”
In this article
More In Rotorcraft
