MAX Aerostructures

MAX Aerostructures is an aerospace manufacturer in Wichita, Kansas. It makes complex machined parts and multi-component assemblies for the aerospace industry. The company supplies parts from small to large. Its customers work in the commercial, defense and space industries.

The company was founded in 2016. Skilled aerospace professionals who had spent their careers in Wichita formed it. Bird's Eye Holdings, a family firm with a long history in manufacturing, backed the start-up. MAX bought a 206,000-square-foot building on 12 acres of land in southwest Wichita. The building was once a Bombardier Business Aircraft building.

MAX also bought Paradigm Machine, a company in El Dorado, Kansas. Paradigm made parts mostly for Tier II aircraft suppliers. The purchase brought in machining equipment, customers and employees. The two founders of Paradigm Machine now share in the ownership of MAX Aerostructures.

The company keeps its main services under one roof. The engineering team develops creative solutions for commercial, defense and space customers. Its precision machining is driven by automation, so the company can control the process and meet customer specifications. An in-house chemical processing line and heat-treat facility let MAX take a purchase order and manage the work from start to finish. The assembly team completes assemblies of all sizes and has floor space and land to grow.

The company has added equipment over the years. In 2019 it installed its first Makino MAG3.EX and its fourth Mazak 5-axis hard-metal machine. Its featured equipment brands include Haas, Makino and Mazak, and it uses Infor for business systems. The building has room for more machines when needed. In 2017 the company finished a remodel of its office area, roof and facade.

MAX works within an AS9100 and ISO 9001 approved quality management system. A quality assurance department with inspection equipment checks the work.

The company works with customers from the start to manage the supply base. Its main goal is to help customers build more aircraft more efficiently. It has focused on vertical integration and routinely delivers complex assemblies straight to customer production lines. In 2023 it hosted the president and chief operating officer of SpaceX at its Wichita plant. It says it is ready to support SpaceX manufacturing growth in Wichita.

Services

• Engineering
• Precision machining
• Chemical processing
• Heat treating
• Assembly
• Quality assurance