Hawthorne Site

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Overview:
Vought has two Southern California facilities — Hawthorne and Torrance — which collectively make up the Hawthorne site. They are located 12 miles south of downtown Los Angeles and 5 miles east of the Los Angeles International Airport. Employees at the site fabricate and assemble panels for the Boeing 747 fuselage and the Boeing 767 aft body.

Mailing Address:
3901 Jack Northrop Avenue
Hawthorne, CA 90250-3277

Vital Statistics:
• Site workforce of approximately 560
• Total occupied area: approximately 1.5 million square feet

Products and Capabilities:
The Hawthorne site produces Boeing 747 fuselages.  To help ensure first-time quality, the site uses the Accurate Fuselage Assembly, an advanced digital manufacturing process that eliminates product variability and allows “snap-together” final assembly of large structures.  The site also builds panels for the Boeing 767 aft body.

Community Involvement:
• Vought Can Do! (to benefit Los Angeles-area food bank)
• March for Babies (March of Dimes)
• United Way (Los Angeles metropolitan area)
• City of Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce
• Hawthorne Middle School and Hawthorne High School
• Rotary Club of Hawthorne
• Charitable contributions

Site History:
Hawthorne employees have produced the Boeing 747 fuselage since the program began in 1968. This fuselage section is 154 feet long. Each shipset has 21 major side and door panels delivered to Boeing in six custom, oversized railcars. The fuselage is the largest single subcontracted section of the aircraft. The 747 tail section, doors, floor beams and bonnet fuselage panels are produced at the company’s Marshall Street facility in Grand Prairie, Texas.

In 2004, Vought began consolidating operations in Hawthorne, reducing the required manufacturing footprint by 50 percent. The facility was sold in 2005 to MS Kearny Northrop Avenue, LLC. Vought continues to occupy its space at the Hawthorne site under a lease agreement with the buyer.

08/08