Embraer’s composites factory in Évora, Portugal, has completed its first shipset–a mostly composite empennage for the Legacy 500 midsize twinjet. The component has been shipped to the company’s headquarters in São José dos Campos, Brazil, Embraer announced today.

“As serial production of the new Legacy 500 approaches, the completion and shipment of this first empennage from Portugal to Brazil represents a major and important milestone for Embraer and a great achievement by the whole Embraer Compósitos team,” said Paulo Marchioto, president of Embraer Portugal and board member at Embraer Compósitos.

The carbon-fiber empennage was assembled in a semi-automatic line in one of two Embraer plants in Évora, allowing for higher efficiency in operations such as drilling and joining primary composite structures.

Embraer selected Évora as the location for its composites facility in 2008. The 400,000-sq-ft center opened in September and is expected to reach full production capacity during the second quarter next year.

The prototype Legacy 500 is slated to fly by year-end, with certification to follow by about a year.