Bombardier Aerospace invests in Morocco

Canadian company Bombardier Aerospace, which specialises in the manufacture of aircrafts, announced that it “signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Moroccan government for the establishment of a manufacturing facility in Morocco, and investing around $200 million US dollars in building, equipping, and covering the expenses of launching the facility and the project for the next eight years,” It said that “it will be implemented on phases starting from next year, with the exact site location to be announced later.” Bombardier Aerospace stated that they expect to “hire 850 skilled workers by 2010 in the facility’, they also pointed out that they “do not expect this announcement to affect the workers currently working in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and North Ireland”. The multinational company mentioned on its website that this facility will start with “sub-assembly capabilities for simple structures”, saying that it is scheduled to start manufacturing in 2013. President and Chief Operating Officer Guy C. Hachey explained in a statement that Morocco was selected for this facility with regard to its location as “the costs of manufacture are globally competitive, the low costs of transportation, its proximity to Europe, and the Moroccan government’s commitment to develop the aerospace industry”. Hachey added: “Bombardier Aerospace is committed to a long-term relationship with the Moroccan Government to develop a world-class aerospace industry in the country”. He said: “By establishing its own fully integrated manufacturing facility in Morocco, Bombardier Aerospace will serve as a catalyst for the aerospace industry in the country and will look for opportunities to share some of its knowledge and complex manufacturing processes.” He mentioned that the announcement of the new manufacturing facility in Morocco was made during the Dubai Airshow 2011, where Bombardier is currently showcasing its broad spectrum of innovative products, technical expertise, and superior customer support and aircraft maintenance services. The Canadian enterprise Bombardier Inc. is among the most significant manufacturers of aerospace and transportation solutions, where its revenues for the fiscal year ended Januare 2011 were about $17.7 billion dollars. Bombardier Aerospace, which works in the manufacture of commercial and business aerospace, is considered the third leading manufacturer worldwide, with revenues reaching 8.6 billion dollars. It is noteworthy that Morocco has significant foreign investments in the industry of aerospace spare parts on the outskirts of Casablanca, and its trials have received great success, which pushed a number of multinational companies in the field of aerospace manufacture to conduct investment studies in Morocco. Others negotiated with the government on costs, while other companies are also set to launch aerospace manufacturing projects in Morocco.