‘We will lead the way’: Aerospace manufacturer Align Precision hosts ribbon-cutting event in Cedar City

CEDAR CITY — More than 300 people turned out for Align Precision’s ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house in Cedar City earlier this week.

Align Precision employees and guests attend ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house, Cedar City, Utah, Oct. 11, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Tuesday’s lunchtime program included speeches by company officials and Gov. Spencer Cox.

“We are here today to tell the story of Align Precision, but before I can do so, I need to tell the story of Metalcraft Technologies,” said Corey Judd, general manager of Align Precision Cedar City. 

“Metalcraft Technologies was founded in 1989 to produce structural components for the aerospace industry,” Judd said, noting that the Cedar City facility now employs more than 220 workers, including engineers, fabricators, machinists and inspectors.

“I became part of that journey more than 20 years ago when I got a job here as a night shift polisher,” Judd added. “Since then, I have had opportunities to work in chemical processing, assembly, engineering, quality and many other roles.”

“Over the last 30 years, we have built the technical capability to support nearly every aircraft platform in the world,” Judd added. “Today, our employees make the ‘skin and bones’ of modern aircraft, fabricating the primary structural elements of an airframe, including the skins that enclose it.”

“The next time you are on a flight and look out the cabin window, remember that Cedar City hands helped to shape what you see and even more of what you don’t see,” Judd added. “Beneath the interior panels and under the aircraft’s surface is an elaborate skeleton of structural components made right here in Cedar City.”

Judd also touted the facility’s ability to produce a wide variety of highly specialized products.

“So far this year, we have completed over 7,000 work orders comprising over 4,500 unique part numbers,” he said.

Corey Judd, general manager of Align Precision Cedar City, speaks during ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house, Cedar City, Utah, Oct. 11, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

“Almost a year ago, we became part of the Align Precision family,” he added. “It is exciting to become a part of a national group of aerospace manufacturers who share our passion for excellence.”

Align Precision, headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, currently operates 10 manufacturing facilities, known as “Centers of Excellence,” in nine states across the country. 

“Within the Align Precision group of companies, we will be the place that others can come to learn how an aerospace company should be run,” Judd added. “And from right here in Cedar City, we will lead the way.”

Andy Spiering, CEO of Align Precision, also spoke, calling the occasion “a special day for Align Precision Cedar City and the great state of Utah.”

“In joining Align Precision, this facility opens up a whole new chapter,” Spiering added. “We are implementing updates and improvements that will take the important work being done here at Align Cedar City to the next level.”

Cox then spoke of the grit and determination of the earlier generations who had helped make the United States a nation of builders.

“We have an opportunity to bring jobs back and to build things and to build them better than anyone else,” Cox said during his remarks. “We still have innovators here. We just need to unleash them.”

“I believe Utah is leading, and we will continue to lead,” Cox added. “We can show the nation and the world that there is a better way to do it. And it’s because of people like the ones we’re surrounded by here, who are innovating every day, who are building every day, who are creating jobs, and not just jobs, but careers, places where people want to come and stay, to continue to raise their children and grandchildren.”

Also giving brief remarks was retired Air Force Col. Larry Brough, who spoke about an exhilarating takeoff he’d made in an F-111 early in his career as a pilot.

“​​I think about that all the time,” said Brough. “At that point, I was hooked. There was no way I was going to do anything else that didn’t have anything to do with aviation.” 

Megen Ralphs, vice president of business systems at Align Precision Cedar City, said approximately 250 guests attended the event, with dozens more Align Precision employees either working inside the facility or attending the program outside.

Following the half-hour program and a brief ribbon cutting ceremony, a catered lunch was served and guided tours were given of the facility.

Align Precision Cedar City is currently hiring for several full-time positions. For more information, click here.

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