Guanajuato’s Aerospace Industry Moving Forward?

The aerospace industry in Guanajuato has been aiming to develop new technologies, venturing into additive manufacturing and designing composite materials. While the pandemic slowed down the development process, regional businessmen have been persistent in investing in Guanajuato’s aerospace industry’s further development.

The state’s aerospace venture has been going on for several years. It has become clear to investors that this is an attractive spot due to its economically active population, as mentioned in a previous MBN article. Still, among the priorities to foster industrial growth is generating new providers in the region. This means creating alliances to help strengthen the different companies trying to enter the industry, stated Óscar Rodríguez Yáñez, CEO of Optimen, in an article from El Economista. “There is an interesting local supplier base (in Guanajuato). We must now start to direct it (toward the aerospace industry),” said Yáñez. An element that will be essential in directing automotive suppliers toward the aerospace industry is training, which usually takes around three years.

According to the Ministry of Economy, between 1999 and 1Q20, Guanajuato has not received FDI directly related to the aerospace industry. However, between 2014 and 2019, the national industry reported an average annual growth of 18 percent. The five main regions in Mexico for this type of industry are Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Queretaro and Nuevo Leon in order of importance considering the number of manufacturing facilities in each state, reports El Economista. Mexico is also moving along with ALCE, which could further boost development and investment attraction in these regions.

Companies like Optimen and groups like FEMIA are working together toward developing 25 potential new suppliers. However, COVID-19 has delayed these plans. One of our expert contributors, Carlos Robles, Vice President of the Central Region at FEMIA, explained how at the beginning of the pandemic, FEMIA officially asked the government to designate aerospace as an essential industry. However, there was no answer. In this industry, production cycles are very long-term, but supply chains have been affected, reducing production and deliveries. Also, most Mexican companies, including local aerospace suppliers are facing a hard time with their cash flow while trying to survive the pandemic without any type of support.

Robles lists how Mexican aerospace companies should take advantage of opportunities: listening to and understanding clients’ demands, keeping an eye out for qualified labor, thinking outside the box and finding new business models not previously analyzed, looking to establish a local supply chain, optimizing available capacity and working toward convincing the Mexican government that this sector is vital for the economy.