Expansion of Embraer Executive Jets' assembly facility in Melbourne, Fla., to accommodate Legacy 450 and 500 production, in addition to the existing Phenom 100 and 300 lines, is well under way and on pace to be completed in the spring, according to facility managing director Phil Krull. The first U.S.-assembled Legacy 450 is expected to enter the initial build station in June, he noted.

Midsize jet production will start out slowly in Florida, with just six Legacy 450/500s coming off the Melbourne line in 2017, said Krull. However, Embraer will eventually ramp up output to 72 of the midsize jets per year with just two shifts, five days a week; a third and/or weekend shifts could be added if needed.

Also in June, all Phenom production will transition to the Melbourne facility, Krull added. Phenoms are currently assembled at both Embraer’s headquarters in São José dos Campos and in Melbourne, but plant capacity in Brazil is needed for assembly of the company’s new E2 airliners. The Melbourne facility has the capacity to assemble eight Phenoms per month (96 per year) under the current two-shift, weekday-only schedule.

Approximately 350 employees work at the Melbourne assembly facility, but with the addition of the Legacy midsize jet line Krull expects to hire another 600 workers there over the next five years.