Queretaro, Mexico

Bombardier to Add 300 Workers at Mexico Parts Plant in 2008, Beaudoin Says
Posted by roboblogger on Sunday Mar 2

Bombardier Inc., the world’s third- largest aircraft maker, plans to add 300 workers in Mexico this year to increase parts production, said the head of the aerospace unit
http://www.topix.com/mx/queretaro/2008/03/bombardier-to-add-300-workers-at-mexico-parts-plant-in-2008-beaudoin-says
Bombardier Weighs Boost to Train Production in Mexico (Correct)

By Thomas Black

(Corrects type of aircraft that Bombardier assembles fuselages for in seventh paragraph of story published March 3.)

March 3 (Bloomberg) — Bombardier Inc., the world’s second- largest train maker, is weighing whether to build a plant that may double train-production capacity in Mexico, said Flavio Diaz, the company’s chief country representative in Mexico.

The Mexican government is planning transportation projects requiring as many as 250 locomotives and train cars by 2012, Diaz said. Bombardier will need to decide within three years whether to go ahead with the plant, a choice that hinges on how quickly the projects are bid and how many of them the company wins.

“I could end up short of capacity,” Diaz said in an interview in Mexico City. “There’s not a city today in the world with the need to resolve its transportation needs as urgently as Mexico City.”

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has said the government and companies will invest 500 billion pesos ($46.7 billion) a year on roads, bridges, ports, light trains and other infrastructure to boost the economy and make the country more attractive for investment. His administration ends in 2012.

The commuter-train plans include the second and third legs of a light train to connect Mexico City with neighborhoods in the state of Mexico, Diaz said. The government is also looking to build a new subway line in Mexico City and renovate Mexico City’s tramcar system. Another potential project is to add more light train lines in the northern city of Monterrey, he said.

Aerospace

Bombardier builds locomotives and train cars at its plant in Ciudad Sahagun in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. The plant can make 250 locomotives, 375 mass-transit cars and 3,000 freight cars, the company said.

Diaz also said that Bombardier, the world’s third-largest aircraft maker, will be ready to present a plan to produce complete airplanes in Mexico to its board in four or five years. The company now assembles cockpit wiring systems, fuselages for its Challenger aircraft and aft fuselages for its Global business jets, putting Bombardier about a year ahead of its 2005-2012 investment plan, he said.

“I can see it happening,” he said, referring to building complete airplanes in Mexico. “It wouldn’t be logical to have so much industrial success and then halt it when you’re getting close to the goal.”

To persuade Bombardier’s board on Mexican airplane production, the company needs to attract more suppliers in the country and continue to show it can manufacture quality aircraft parts at a lower cost.

In three to four years, Bombardier’s operations in Queretaro, Mexico, will probably show a savings of 25 percent on manufacturing costs, Diaz said. The percentage of local supplier content may rise to 20 percent in about five years from almost none now, he said.

The Queretaro state government is negotiating with eight aerospace suppliers to locate near the Bombardier plant, Diaz said. Of the eight suppliers, seven are non-Mexican companies with experience in the aerospace industry, he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Thomas Black in Queretaro,

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&refer=latin_america&sid=aJDhnOXIqIuQ

Montréal, February 28, 2008 — Today, Bombardier Aerospace announced the official opening of its world-class manufacturing facility located at the Querétaro Aerospace Park in Mexico. This new facility complements Bombardier’s existing manufacturing sites located in Canada, Northern Ireland and the United States. Manufacturing operations in this facility began in the second half of 2007.

Currently, Bombardier Aerospace has approximately 900 full-time employees working at its facilities in Mexico where they manufacture electrical harnesses and structural aircraft components. These components include the Challenger 850 mid-fuselage, the Q400 aircraft flight control work package (rudder, elevator and horizontal stabilizer), and the Global family of aircraft aft fuselage. By the end of 2008, Bombardier Aerospace expects to employ 1,200 full-time staff.

“Bombardier Aerospace and Mexico have a solid relationship based on a long-term commitment to develop the aerospace industry within Mexico and we are particularly proud to be the first manufacturer at Querétaro’s new aerospace park,” said Pierre Beaudoin, President and Chief Operating Officer, Bombardier Aerospace. “In parallel to the establishment of this world-class facility, we also plan to develop a local supplier base to further support our Mexican operations and other facilities, and we look forward to other companies joining us in Quetéraro. In this highly competitive industry, which is becoming increasingly global in its scope, we view Mexico as the springboard to the further development of the aerospace industry in Central and South America, and to our increased competitiveness in the international marketplace.”

“We are extremely pleased with the work being accomplished by our Mexican employees. Their sense of professionalism and dedication, as well as their willingness to take on, and overcome, tough challenges, has contributed to the success of this venture. Their efforts are setting the standard that will ultimately allow Mexico to become a vital participant in the international aerospace industry. All participants have the right to be proud of their achievements,” Mr. Beaudoin continued.

“We applaud the strong commitment shown by both the Federal and State of Querétaro governments to participate and support the three pillars upon which our industry stands: infrastructure, certification and training. I have every confidence that, together, we will build a strong and vital future for the Mexican aerospace industry and for Bombardier.”

Bombardier also acknowledges the VESTA-GE alliance that combines the two companies’ experience in the construction and the administration of industrial-type properties, as well as the financing of real estate. VESTA-GE will jointly undertake the investment, the development and the management of the Querétaro Aerospace Park.

Querétaro, located north of Mexico City, offers quality industrial and educational infrastructures, a skilled population and dynamic economic development policies. Its modern airport will provide Bombardier Aerospace, its suppliers and other future members of the new Mexican aerospace cluster, the best potential for growth and synergies.

In addition to Bombardier Aerospace having aircraft component facilities located in Mexico, Bombardier Transportation is also present through its facility in Ciudad Sahagún.

About Bombardier

http://www.ontaero.org/Page.asp?PageID=122&ContentID=1110&SiteNodeID=114