Howmet Aerospace reports fresh demand for its fasteners as Boeing and other top aerospace companies scramble to replace capacity destroyed when a fire gutted an SPS Technologies factory in February, Reuters reports.

Howmet CEO John Plant said his Pittsburgh company is prioritizing long-term deals amid plans to expand capacity for a struggling supply chain.

“I have no interest in taking these costs on to only have to delete them later in the year,” Plant told Bank of America's Global Industrials Conference. “That doesn't make economic sense at all.”

Howmet has the necessary certifications to produce some of the fasteners manufactured at the SPS factory, and Plant said the company is responding to customers for parts following the fire. Howmet would pass on any higher costs it would face for imported materials, he noted.

The days-long fire in February destroyed SPS’ factory in Philadelphia that produced specialty fasteners — some exclusively, roiling an industry set to make more planes. SPS has laid off 250 employees, halving its workforce at the 105-year-old facility.

The sudden loss of critical fastener capacity hampers Boeing’s efforts to recover after output slumped last year due to multiple crises.

“Suppliers are bracing for higher costs on materials such as aluminum used in aircraft due to an escalating U.S.-led trade war,” Reuters reports.

Plant said Howmet would support Boeing’s planned monthly production rate of 38 for 737 MAX planes.