With Okuma, Kencoa Aerospace has everything it needs to be successful as an aerospace solutions provider and to grow its business within a progressive, demanding industry.
The best window seat in an aircraft is the one at the very front. This is especially true for Kencoa Aerospace, a build-to-print aerospace manufacturer and long-time Okuma customer, which just won a highly competitive bid to make cockpit windows for Gulfstream jets. This means precise Okuma-made parts for cockpit windows (and our engineering proficiency) will soon fly among the clouds and some of the most cutting-edge airliners in the industry.
To the Skies, Space, and Beyond
Kencoa Aerospace is a premier, AS9100-certified, Tier-1 supplier of structural components for the aerospace industry. The company provides products to some of the industry’s largest players, including Boeing, the Defense Logistics Agency, and Bombardier Defense. Following a strategic expansion into the United States from South Korea, and its acquisition of Heart of Georgia Metal Crafters in 2017, Kencoa now operates out of a 40,000-square-foot facility in Eastman, Georgia and manufactures cost-competitive solutions for worldwide air travel.
The company is also in the right industry at the right time. Aerospace manufacturing demand, whether it’s parts for commercial airliners, private planes, military aircraft, or specialty projects for outer space, is propelling to new heights. Driven primarily by increased global passenger traffic, the industry is expected to manufacture around 44,000 new airplanes within the next 20 years.1 Additionally, aerospace defense orders are up 11% since 2023.2 Kencoa’s business is impacted by these surges; at any given time, it has around 300 high-mix, low-volume projects in progress for a 60/40 split of commercial and defense work.
That can be an overwhelming number of deliverables (around 44,000 total parts each year) for any aerospace manufacturer to maintain. But partnering with Okuma makes it easy.
With a fleet of 11 Okuma machine tools turning, milling, and making accurate parts that transcend atmospheric limits, Kencoa is perfectly positioned to go above and beyond for existing customers, earn new contracts, and further grow its business in a booming industry where advances happen overnight. Here’s how:
Quality Assurance and Repeatability
Because rigorous testing and control are engrained in every Kencoa manufacturing process, every Okuma machine promises expert precision and exact execution. Tolerances are always tight. Structural integrity is always maintained. Aerodynamic performance is always upheld. They must be because aerospace manufacturing has no room for error.
Okuma can ensure the proper fit and function of aerospace parts because of the intentional way our machine tools are designed. Okuma machine tools are strategically designed with heavy, proprietary cast-iron bases, which render stability and rigidity, and guarantee that machining operations are meticulously consistent over long runs. For example, Kencoa has two continually running Okuma MILLAC 853PF-5X machines. These vertical machining centers have a strong base-column construction with optimally placed ribs to counter chatter and twisting during heavy-duty cuts.
Okuma machine tools are also engineered with intelligent technologies that further support the highest quality assurance standards in aerospace manufacturing. The onboard Thermo-Friendly Concept manages thermally generated deformation that can, on occasion, occur during the machining process. The Okuma Collision Avoidance System ensures no interference of multiple components engaged in the machining process by creating the actual shape of material milliseconds before a cut. The helpful Machining Navi function measures, analyzes, and suppresses chatter.
Reflecting on how flawlessly Okuma machines work, Will Beutjer, general manager at Kencoa Aerospace, says, “The repeatability of Okumas allows the machines to work in place and hold tolerances from the first part to the 1,000th. Every time we power our equipment, it always performs well. We have the utmost confidence in our Okuma machines.” Just like the structural elements in a jet or passenger plane or military aircraft, many moving parts work together in Okuma machine tools so Kencoa can deliver components of sky-high quality to an impressive customer base.
“We went with Okumas not only for versatility, longevity, and controls, but also because the brand is known for being the high-end CNC machine tool provider,” says Beutjer. “When we share the machines we have with our customers, they perk up. They like hearing that we use Okumas.” — Will Beutjer, General Manager, Kencoa Aerospace
Machine Tool Versatility and Longevity
Completing work for other industry leaders like NASA, Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, Mitsubishi, and Gulfstream calls for versatile machine tools that not only go the distance in precision but also in longevity. Of the 3,500 high-mix, low-volume structural component projects that Kencoa completes each year, some are repeat orders, some are brand new, and all have unique requirements.
In addition to specs and coatings, this means Kencoa works with a diverse lineup of materials, specialty alloys, and composites. Instead of turning business and contracts away, Kencoa embraces the variety of complex jobs and materials because Okuma machine tools can handle all of them.
“We’re not afraid to run aluminum, stainless, or titanium across the same spindle. We have confidence in all of our Okumas when taking on new jobs. With every single spindle and machine we have, we can make jobs work,” says Beutjer. So, if Kencoa needs to manufacture jet engine components, window frames, or engine blocks for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, it could use any Okuma machine tool in its lineup, which includes the LB3000 EX II MYW, V100R, two 2SP-V80s, and two GENOS M460V-5AX machining centers.
What’s even more remarkable about this lineup is that some Okuma machines, notably an LB3000 EX MYW horizontal lathe, are more than ten years old. That’s just the beginning of the machines’ lifespans. For years, Kencoa’s machine tools have been trusted to work at 100% capacity because the tolerances and power are the same as day one. They will do the same long into the future. “Whenever you invest in an Okuma, you can rest assured that the machines will last longer than contracts,” Beutjer adds.
This is half a testament to Kencoa’s meticulous preventive maintenance schedule, half because of the way Okuma builds machines to last for decades, and exactly what aerospace manufacturers can expect from Okuma machine tools: peak performance over long stretches to create critical, complex parts that change the world.
Continuity in Control
Aerospace manufacturers like Kencoa can also expect continuity in our CNC controls. This facilitates speed in training operators and simplicity when onboarding new employees. Both matter when business grows fast.
Since 2022, the build-to-print aerospace manufacturer has added more than 30 employees and two Okuma machines to its operations to satisfy increasing industry demand for parts. With skilled labor hard to find — and keep around — the Okuma OSP CNC control creates opportunities for Kencoa to easily train and retain employees on a Windows®-based platform.
That’s because our OSP CNC control is largely the same from one Okuma machine tool category to the next, and in the panel itself. There isn’t a steep learning curve or deep understanding of multiple controls needed when Kencoa’s operators move from a horizontal lathe to a vertical machining center during the same shift. The keyboards between OSP-P200 and OSP-P300 have little variation. The programs on each are set up similarly. The features, functions, and fundamentals are consistent, so Kencoa never needs to cross-train its employees twice.
“We’re in a small town where employees are not in abundance,” explains Beutjer. “We have to be very creative in how we hire. Having the continuity in control between 3-axis 4-axis, and 5-axis means our employees are set up for success from the start, no matter what machine they’re working on.”
Before long, Kencoa Aerospace will bring its Okuma machine total to 12. And regardless of whether the machine tool has OSP-P200, OSP-P300, or the new Okuma OSP-P500, Kencoa can rest assured that their machining processes will be simple and seamless for their employees.
Conclusion
In its sprawling, state-of-the-art space, Kencoa’s investment in customer prosperity and commitment to excellence in aerospace manufacturing are powered by Okuma machine tools that open possibilities.
“We went with Okumas not only for versatility, longevity, and controls but also because the brand is known for being the high-end CNC machine tool provider,” says Beutjer. “When we share the machines we have with our customers, they perk up. They like hearing that we use Okumas.”
We provide confidence, creativity, and certified precision so Kencoa can do more than what its customers expect. Moving forward, Kencoa will continue to deliver the highest quality solutions, while expanding its operations by 3,500 square feet, growing its staff and in-house capabilities, and winning new, key contracts. Just like the windows on a Gulfstream jet, opportunities for business growth and machining success are perfectly framed for Kencoa, with Okuma right by their side.
Source: Okuma America Corporation
References
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Brothers, Eric. “2025 Forecast.” Aerospace Manufacturing and Design. 31 January 2025. https://www.aerospacemanufacturinganddesign.com/article/2025-forecast-aircraft-backlog-strong-manufacturing-tackles-supply-chain-production/.
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“PwC’s global aerospace and defense: Annual performance and outlook.” Price Waterhouse Cooper. Accessed 26 February 2025. https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/industrial-products/library/aerospace-defense-review-and-forecast.html.