VAC AERO International’s Poland subsidiary, VAC AERO Kalisz, has been awarded grants totaling approximately $2.25 million through the European Union’s New Innovative Investments Program. The grants will support 60% of the company’s investment to establish a new special-processes facility in the Aviation Valley region of southeast Poland. In March 2010, VAC AERO Kalisz will begin construction of a 20,000-square-foot building that will offer vacuum and atmosphere brazing and heat-treating services. The new facility, which is scheduled to start operation in January 2011, expects to employ a workforce of 35 people within two years.

The new facility will also provide robotically controlled thermal spray, inorganic paint coatings and a recently developed cold-spray process. The new grants are in addition to approximately $562,000 in EU grants awarded earlier this year to support the purchase of new heat-treating and coating equipment.