California-based aircraft manufacturer Joby Aviation began production of propeller blades at its Dayton facility in recent weeks.
To demystify its production processes, the company hosted an event with local and state officials on Monday.
Joby Aviation sets out to construct what it calls “electric air taxis” that will eventually go to market for commercial passenger service. The propeller blades will allow their air taxis to take flight.
Bringing 'high value engineering roles' to Dayton
The facility is on-site at the Dayton International Airport.
The company announced its plans in 2023. One of Dayton’s draws was its rich aviation innovation, said Didier Papadopoulos, Joby Aviation’s President of Original Equipment Manufacturer. He referred to the abundance of aerospace employees in the state.
The blades are made up of carbon materials, which are then molded and shaped to precisely fit the aircrafts.
A skilled workforce is needed to conduct the complex carbon manufacturing processes used to construct the blades, Papadopoulos said; both of which the Dayton region has to offer.
“We'll be bringing a wide range of high value engineering roles to Dayton, helping to grow our new industry and building on the deep skills and expertise that already exists right here,” Papadopoulos said.
“…This region gives us the resources, the talent, and the speed to scale one of the most technically demanding parts of our aircraft.”
Incentives and jobs
To jumpstart its work, the company is set to receive up to $325 million in state and local incentives, with the hopes Joby will invest up to $500 million in its Dayton-area plant.
The company aims to support up to 2,000 jobs in the Miami Valley.
But it will take a while to scale up to that size, said general manager of the plant Tom Ubelhart.
“You can't just totally ramp up and jump start into an aircraft that's going to carry people. So you want to do it right. You want to take your time,” Ubelhart said.
Although, the core team has nearly tripled from when staff training started last summer.
“This plant was completely empty. The floors were just getting polished and we were just painting the walls. And here we are four months later, a fully functional clean room, molding area, multiple machines and we're still growing,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, attended the event. He said the Joby team and Ohio’s state agencies and economic development organizations have worked diligently to get this point.
“We saw your vision and we think that this vision working together can be an exciting application of new jobs and new technology and new innovation that we do together,” Turner said.
In the future, up to 15,000 propeller blades will be manufactured at the Dayton facility, the company said in a statement. Once the blades are built and tested, they will be sent to the Marina, California, plant for aircraft manufacturing.
The company plans to include aircraft production at its Dayton plant, anticipating construction of up to 500 a year.
