The aerospace industry in Mexico.

Mexican Aerospace Industry continues to grow and it becomes more important each day as a manufacturing, engineering and development region, with a high strategic value.

There are in Mexico more than 300 companies and aerospace support entities, 80% of which are manufacturing companies and 20% offer design and engineering services, as well as maintenance, repair and operation.

Important companies such as Bombardier, Safran Group, General Electric (GE), Honeywell and Eurocopter have found in Mexico the conditions to develop design and engineering centers, laboratories and production lines capable of evolving fast to be responsible of more complex assignments in the development of new generations of engines, components and fuselages.

These companies have been established in five states: Baja California, Chihuahua, Sonora, Nuevo León and Querétaro.

In each state the aerospace industry is forged with productions that stand out in the following way:

In Nuevo Leon there are 20 companies dedicated to manufacture parts and components, expecting a growth rate of 10% for the coming years.

Querétaro, opened the sixth plant of Safran and Albany, with an investment of 100 MUSD.

Baja California with more than 76 companies in the sector, has secure its position within the aerospace industry adding that the manufacturing industry is specialized in precision machinery, power and electrical systems, hydraulic and interior systems.

Chihuahua, has approximately 35 companies that generate 13,000 direct jobs in the industry; among the manufacturing tasks there are companies that make metal sheets, aerostructures, forge, foundry, heat and surface treatments; there are also engineering and design centers,

Sonora ranks second place in aerospace development nationwide, having 60 companies in this field working in the state, representing between 5 and 6% of the state Gross Domestic Product, and according to figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), it is estimated that for the next two years it will increase to 10% of Sonora’s GDP.

According to estimates of the 2010-2020 Strategic Program of the Aerospace Industry, coordinated by the Ministry of Economy, it is expected that this industry will record exports of 12,267 MUSD by 2021, with an average annual growth of 14%.

According to the National Strategic Program for the Aerospace Industry, whose objective is that by the year 2020 Mexico is positioned within the top 10 places worldwide with expected sales above 12 MUSD, creating more than 110,000 jobs with at least 50% of national components.