A family-owned Arlington manufacturer that supplies bonding jumpers, bus bars and grounding straps to some of the biggest names in aviation is preparing to break ground this fall on a $45 million expansion of its West Pioneer Parkway facility. Circuit Systems Co. Inc. plans to add 20,980 square feet to its existing 11,880-square-foot building, according to a state filing, with construction expected to run from November 2026 into December 2027.
The company, founded in 1983 by president Grady King, does work for aerospace giants including Airbus, General Electric, Bell Textron and Boeing, per the Fort Worth Report. Circuit Systems is one of just three U.S. manufacturers that make parts for Boeing, the outlet reports, and its components have flown on commercial jets, military aircraft, the F-22 and F-35 built by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, and even the International Space Station. The company also holds approved Class C manufacturer status on Bombardier's Learjet Approved Supplier List and appears on the Airbus A220 Program Approved Suppliers List, according to supplier documentation reviewed for this story.
From a Former Liquor Store to a 7-Acre Campus
King bought the Pioneer Parkway headquarters property in 2015, and the site itself has an unlikely past: the current headquarters building once operated as a liquor store, per the Fort Worth Report's account. Since then, the company has added equipment and purchased a complete, operating machine shop, King told the outlet, though that shop is presently housed at one of the older, smaller locations Circuit Systems has since moved away from.
The planned expansion will include new offices, a conference room, and additional storage and restroom facilities. Original plans for growth had called for remodeling and purchasing adjoining property, but the company ultimately settled on the current buildout across its 7.1-acre site.
City and State Approvals Cleared the Way
The path to construction ran through Arlington's municipal approval process well before this fall's groundbreaking. The Arlington Planning and Zoning Commission approved a planned-development amendment on September 24, 2025, allowing Circuit Systems to expand light industrial manufacturing on the site, according to a report from CitizenPortal. The Arlington City Council then approved the project on October 14, 2025.
Circuit Systems had initially hoped to have the expansion operational by the first quarter of 2027, though the state filing now lists a completion target of December 2027. Andrew Piel, cited in the Fort Worth Report's coverage, said the scale of the building expansion was impressive. Arlington-based SBL Architecture, Inc., headquartered at 1000 Ballpark Way, is listed as the project's design firm of record in state licensing records.
Why the Parts Matter for Flight Safety
The bonding jumpers, bus bars and grounding straps Circuit Systems manufactures serve a specific safety function on aircraft. According to the company, these parts provide a safe pathway for electrical currents to travel across an aircraft's structure, helping prevent damage from lightning strikes. Federal Aviation Administration standards require this kind of bonding hardware to divert lightning currents that can reach up to 1,000,000 volts, according to Airways Magazine, preventing static charges from igniting fuel vapors or disrupting onboard avionics. The company also relies on international distributors to help maintain parts for major airlines.
Part of a Broader Regional Buildout
Circuit Systems' expansion lands amid a wave of aerospace investment across North Texas. At $45 million, the project ranks among the five largest privately funded commercial development registrations in Tarrant County for 2026, according to data from Zabalist. Nearby, Dynamic Systems Inc. is undertaking a separate $10 million renovation of its 300,000-square-foot airport-adjacent facility, with completion slated for May 2027, according to 817 Business & Innovation.
The Fort Worth-Arlington metroplex has long served as a hub for transportation, aviation and defense manufacturing, a concentration the Dallas Federal Reserve traces back to military production during World War II. Nationally, the industry remains robust: U.S. aerospace and defense manufacturers generated $989 billion in total sales in 2025 while supporting a $109.2 billion net positive trade balance, according to Aerospace Industries Association data. For Circuit Systems, a small family business with a decades-long footprint in Arlington, the expansion represents another chapter in an industry cluster that has defined the region's economy for generations.
