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Big Opportunities for Mexico’s Aerospace Industry: Optimen

Óscar Rodríguez - Optimen
CEO

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Antonio Gozain By Antonio Gozain | Senior Journalist and Industry Analyst - Tue, 12/20/2022 - 10:00

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Q: How does Optimen support airlines across the world through its work with Jeppesen and Boeing Digital Aviation products?

A: Optimen develops optimization software for flight operations. The  software solution plays a crucial role in commercial, military, cargo and general aviation, making flight operations much more efficient, reliable and cost-effective.

Besides developing, implementing and supporting Boeing Digital Aviation products, we have also developed solutions for other segments, such as ground operations and logistics. Our main client is Boeing but we also provide our services to several Latin American commercial airlines and to some in the EU.

Q: What are the main factors that determine success in the current aviation market?

A: There are several areas of aviation and they are all evolving. The key for success is to take advantage of the technologies that already exist and leverage Optimen’s capabilities and know-how to provide the best solutions. In the current challenging landscape, robust software can make the difference for companies to succeed.

In aviation, there are several factors to consider for software applications, from aircraft maintenance to passengers, crews, airports and other variables. The software solutions needs to be flexible enough to be able to adapt to different necessities. Airlines themselves have different needs and cargo operations are different from those of general and commercial aviation.

Q: How has the aerospace industry grown in Guanajuato over the past 16 years?

A: Optimen opened its offices in Guanajuato in 2006. In our over 16 years of experience, we have witnessed and played a role in the growth of the aerospace industry in both the region and the country. Through the BJXAerospace cluster, we have worked to connect Guanajuato’s industry with the rest of Mexico and the world. We see the aerospace industry as a country project rather than a state or regional development.

Reshoring and nearshoring trends also represent a unique opportunity for Mexico. The country is in the right place but needs to engage in the right allies with the right actors, people, companies and authorities. Everything must be aligned toward the same objectives.

Q: How is BJXAerospace working to grow Guanajuato aerospace industry’s footprint?

A: BJXAerospace made a deep strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis of the region to identify potential alliances between companies. Aerospace is a resilient industry and it is great to be a part of it. While it is difficult to enter its supply chain due to several challenges, such as certifications, once a company is in, it becomes a key player within the sector.

Guanajuato has a strong automotive industry, with over 450 SMEs manufacturing auto parts. Helping some automotive companies to transition or diversify their portfolios to enter the aerospace supply chain would make the industry grow in the region and country. Over the past two years, BJXAerospace helped three key companies to diversify. The transition from automotive to aerospace is not easy and requires the right leadership and investments. While the automotive ecosystem in Guanajuato does have large OEMs, the aerospace sector does not. However, neighboring states such as Queretaro have a strong aerospace industry.

Q: Highly specialized talent is scarce. How should companies work to hire the best talent available?

A: The aerospace and IT sectors require highly specialized talent. The combination of both makes it a very specific sector regarding the talent shortage. As owners, investors and managers of companies, we must understand that the labor market is changing. Several key aspects of work changed dramatically after the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the prevalence of remote work, which opened the competition for talent to international players. Companies no longer compete with their neighbors for the best talent, they are competing with businesses from around the world.

HR departments and companies in general must understand that engineers’ salaries must increase and offer other benefits, such as vacation time and remote work to attract talent. It is all about offering a fun, challenging, well-paid job.

Q: What are Optimen’s main priorities for 2023?

A: In 2023, our main objective is to scale up. Optimen has evolved with the times. For most of our history, we have exclusively supplier for Boeing Digital Aviation. We started scaling up a few years ago, growing directly with different customers. Optimen now works with the top six commercial airlines in Latin America and we have started to sign customers in the EU.

There is a strong demand for software that could complement the existing solutions. There is a major niche with diverse needs, including ground, airports and MRO operators. Optimen’s objective during 2023 will be to scale up our operations, integrate more customer in our portfolio, provide the best-of-breed solutions and develop new services and products to serve the aviation industry.

 

Optimen is a Mexican software developer that provides resources management and optimization services to different industries. It was designated and approved as an International Service Contractor for Boeing Digital Aviation.

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