Hawker Beechcraft Leads Formation of Wichita Sustainability Coalition

Company advances sustainability initiative

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) today announced its ongoing efforts to create a Wichita sustainability coalition. In partnership with Wichita State University (WSU), HBC is forming a coalition of local manufacturers that will focus on increasing industrial recycling. The formation of the coalition is just one of the critical steps HBC has taken as part of its commitment to advancing sustainability initiatives. Last year, HBC created a team that joined with WSU to design and implement a sustainability program throughout all areas of HBC’s global business.

“What we do and build in our factories today will affect future generations,” said HBC chairman and CEO Jim Schuster. “For years, our industry has been focused on ‘green’ efforts, but we are taking our sustainability program a step further by implementing a long-term strategy to ensure our company is successful for decades to come. By joining with other companies in Wichita, we believe we can raise the bar for environmental and economic sustainability. We are more committed than ever to these vital initiatives.”

HBC’s goal is to improve sustainability for the entire life cycle of an aircraft – from engineering and manufacturing to customer operations and product retirement. The HBC sustainability program is focused on excellence in four key areas:

Product value – continuous improvement of products to advance quality and efficiency and reduce environmental impact

Manufacturing leadership – implementation of lean processes to reduce energy usage and operations costs

Environmental performance – focused efforts to increase recycling and reduce waste, energy usage and water consumption

People and ideas – empowerment of employees who want to contribute to sustainability efforts

HBC will provide additional details on its sustainability program through a dedicated Web site that will include success stories, performance metrics and future activities.

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation is a world-leading manufacturer of business, special mission and trainer aircraft – designing, marketing and supporting aviation products and services for businesses, governments and individuals worldwide. The company’s headquarters and major facilities are located in Wichita, Kan., with operations in Salina, Kan.; Little Rock, Ark.; Chester, England, U.K.; and Chihuahua, Mexico. The company leads the industry with the largest number of factory-owned service centers and a global network of more than 100 factory-owned and authorized service centers. For more information, visit www.hawkerbeechcraft.com.