March 18 (Reuters) -

Howmet Aerospace's ( HWM ) CEO said on Tuesday the company

is prioritizing long-term deals as it sees fresh demand from

customers after a major fire at a Philadelphia-area parts

factory hit supply, roiling an industry set to make more planes.

Howmet CEO John Plant told Bank of America's Global

Industrials Conference that the supplier would invest in growing

capacity for customers that will give it long-term business.

The days-long fire at SPS Technologies' century-old factory

in February, which produced specialized fasteners for planes, is

putting pressure on the industry's already strapped supply

chain.

"I have no interest in taking these costs on to only

have to delete them later in the year," Plant said. "That

doesn't make economic sense at all."