Eurocopter Inaugurates Mexican Production Center For High-Technology Aircraft Components

Querétaro, Mexico - Eurocopter expanded its global industrial footprint and enhanced the company’s presence in Mexico with the inauguration of a new manufacturing center of excellence at Querétaro, which is to produce high-technology aircraft structural metallic components. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto attended the event, along with other key government, local and Eurocopter officials.

Located at the Aerotech Industrial Park adjacent to Querétaro Intercontinental Airport, the 12,000-square-meter facility will be the single-source production site for structures used in jetliner doors that the company manufactures for Airbus, along with tail booms to equip Eurocopter Ecureuil helicopters.

The site also is home to a recently-opened 1,000-square-meter maintenance center specializing in the Ecureuil family of helicopters, which serves the region’s Eurocopter clients operating the lightweight rotorcraft.

“Today’s inauguration underscores Eurocopter’s strategy of being present in key geographical regions for its customers, and developing manufacturing capabilities where technological and industrial infrastructure supports value-added production,” said Lutz Bertling, Eurocopter President & CEO, during comments at the opening ceremony. “In addition, this marks the thirtieth anniversary of our Eurocopter de México subsidiary, which continues our nearly 50-year presence in the country.”

Construction of the Querétaro manufacturing center began early 2012, followed by the hiring and training of personnel during the year. It will create approximately 200 specialized jobs, enabling the plant to generate 200,000 production hours annually during its initial phase of activity.