Hawker Beechcraft opens new facility in Chihuahua, Mexico

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) today announced the opening of a new facility in Chihuahua, Mexico. The 180,000-square-foot facility includes sheet metal assembly for the company's King Air turboprops and Hawker jet products, as well as electrical assembly. The Governor of the State of Chihuahua, Cesar Horacio Duarte Jaquez, and other dignitaries from Mexico's local, state and federal governments, joined HBC Chairman and CEO Bill Boisture, as well as HBC senior leaders and employees at a ceremony in Chihuahua to commemorate the event.

"Since the opening of our first facility in Chihuahua in 2007, Hawker Beechcraft has established a visible presence in Chihuahua," Boisture said. "We have seen a high-level of quality and craftsmanship from the country's skilled work force and have great confidence in their ability to assume additional responsibilities in the manufacturing process. We have also received great support from the state government, which has been a key factor in our development plans for Chihuahua."

"With the opening of its second plant in the city, Hawker Beechcraft reaffirms its commitment to the state of Chihuahua," Governor Jaquez said. "It also reinforces the strategic alliance between the state and the company to consolidate the growth of the aerospace industry in the region, thereby turning our state into the undisputed leader in this sector in our country."

HBC opened its first facility in Chihuahua in 2007 to handle the manufacturing of light sheet metal assembly, and currently employs approximately 400 people. With the opening of this new facility and a state-of-the-art sheet metal fabrication facility later this year, the company's footprint will be nearly 500,000 square feet and employment will reach approximately 1,000 people.

An important factor in HBC originally selecting Chihuahua was the ability to train specialized operators for the aerospace industry through the High Technology Training Center CENALTEC Campus Chihuahua, a unique training center in Mexico for machining, sheet metal, painting and other techniques and processes that not only prepares specialized technicians, but also certifies them.