Nexcelle

Nexcelle

Industry	Aerospace
Headquarters	Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Key people	Steve Walters (President) Michel Abella (Director of Programs)
Products	Integrated propulsion systems Nacelle systems
Website	www.nexcelle.com

Nexcelle is a joint venture between General Electric’s (GE) Middle River Aircraft Systems and the Safran group’s Aircelle – both of which are leading suppliers of engine nacelles, thrust reversers and aerostructures.

The company develops, produces and supports engine nacelles and nacelle subsystems. Nexcelle is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Through Nexcelle’s relationship with CFM International, the company offers expertise in the design, development, production and support of integrated propulsion systems for CFM engine applications on a wide range of aircraft.^{[Ref 1]}

History

GE Aviation and Safran announced an agreement on a new nacelle joint venture on July 15, 2008 at the Farnborough Airshow in Farnborough, England.^{[Ref 2]} Nexcelle was announced as the name of the new company on September 21, 2009.^{[Ref 3]}

On June 14, 2009, the appointment of Steve Walters as Nexcelle president was announced at the Paris Air Show. Walters had worked in various engineering and leadership roles, with the majority of his career at GE – including two of his most recent roles as director of Business Operations for the CFM56 engine program and the airfoils business Quality and Compliance leader for GE Aviation.^{[Ref 4]}

Also at the 2009 Paris Air Show, Nexcelle’s cooperative nacelle systems agreement with CFM International was detailed. This accord covers the development and production of integrated propulsion systems for potential new applications for CFM engines.^{[Ref 5]}

Michel J. Abella was announced as the Director of Programs at Nexcelle on December 18, 2009. Abella brings more than 30 years of aviation industry experience in jet engines, nacelles, systems, powerplant integration and aerostructures to Nexcelle.^{[Ref 6]}

In December, 2009, Nexcelle became a partner on the world's first truly integrated propulsion system. The company was selected to provide a highly capable nacelle, thrust reverser and exhaust system for the new CFM International LEAP-X1C engine selected as the sole western powerplant to launch China’s COMAC C919 jetliner. Nexcelle’s contribution to LEAP-X on the C919 includes an innovative nacelle design that is produced with a significant percentage of composites, and which incorporates advanced acoustic treatment. It also is to be equipped with an efficient Electrical Thrust Reverser Actuation System (ETRAS).^{[Ref 7]}

Also in December 2009, Nexcelle President Steve Walters started a blog on the company’s website, in which he regularly provides updates on Nexcelle’s goals and activities, as well as his own views on the importance of integrated propulsion systems.^{[Ref 8]}

In October 2010, GE selected Nexcelle to provide the nacelle and thrust reverser for the GE Passport 20 engine to be used on Bombardier’s new Global 7000 and Global 8000 business jets. The announcement was made at the NBAA Annual Meeting and Convention.^{[Ref 9]} At the Paris Air Show in June 2011, Nexcelle signed the purchase agreement for its supply of the GE Passport 20’s nacelle system to GE Aviation.^{[Ref 10]}

Nexcelle’s presence at the 2011 Paris Air Show also included a functional half-scale model demonstrating key elements of the company’s integrated propulsion system concepts for jet engines on airliners.^{[Ref 11]}

Notes

1. ^ www.nexcelle.com, Retrieved: February 26, 2010
2. ^ Flight International, "Safran and GE form nacelle joint venture," Published: July 7, 2008
3. ^ Business Week, "Nexcelle, Middle River Aircraft Systems and Aircelle Company Formed Joint Venture to Develop Engine Nacelles," Published: July 7, 2008
4. ^ Business Week, "Middle River Aircraft Systems/Aircelle Names Steve Walters as President," Published: July 7, 2008
5. ^ Airframer, "New engine nacelle joint venture of Middle River Aircraft Systems and Aircelle signs cooperative agreement with CFM International," Published: July 18, 2009
6. ^ Air Transport World, Published: December 24, 2009
7. ^ Aviation Week & Space Technology, John Morris, "High Tech Nacelle for C919 Said To Be World First," Published: February 1, 2010
8. ^ steve's blog, Published: February 9, 2010
9. ^ Flightglobal, "NBAA: Bombardier Globals get Nexcelle treatment," Published: October 21, 2010
10. ^ Zacks Investment Research, "GE Gets Orders Worth $27B," Published: June 29, 2011
11. ^ Bloomberg, "Nexcelle Unveils Next-Generation Integrated Propulsion System (IPS) Concepts for Jet Engines on Airliner," Published: June 16, 2011