One Voice to Support Growth

Q: What is Aerospace Alliance’s vision for the sector?

A: Aerospace Alliance’s main goal is to help maintain and support the growth of the state’s industry by creating a single voice for our members. Their needs include investment, development of qualified local human capital and suppliers. We also bring together support organizations such as industrial parks, real estate developers and shelters to help the sector generate opportunities for all players. There is important demand for airplanes as major OEMs have a backlog of more than 10 years. This demand will create work and growth opportunities for all subtier suppliers for many years. As a result, many aerospace companies are looking to Mexico.

There are many interesting projects in the country such as engine repairs, retrofits and renovating aircraft, including the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, to reduce fuel, operating costs and emissions. A number of factors such as geopolitical changes and global green initiatives have made these projects necessary to compete and remain profitable. New technologies are being developed to minimize operating costs and maximize fuel economy. Airplanes are using intelligent systems to optimize performance and new engines can reduce fuel consumption by 30 percent. The positive environmental impact of lower CO2 and NOx emissions is invaluable.

Q: How does the alliance unite the needs of aerospace companies to promote local industry?

A: We are trying to develop a comprehensive image of the aerospace sector in the state that reflects the real needs and advantages of the region. There are 68 aerospace companies in Baja California with an estimated workforce of more than 14,000 people. We all share the same challenges in terms of acquiring qualified people and obtaining support from certified local suppliers. Our main objective is to help maintain, polish and grow the existing workforce to reduce risk for companies operating here. We also share our experience with companies interested in coming to Mexico. Our objective at Aerospace Alliance is to help companies accurately assess risk and understand the opportunities available to them in the region, as well as giving them a chance to share and participate in the projects created by the alliance. Mexico is an ideal location for many OEMs and manufacturers, especially those from the US because it is close and operational costs are much lower. The Aerospace Alliance of Baja California was recognized by SEDECO as the only official aerospace cluster for the state of Baja California in March 2016. It benchmarked other successful programs in Mexico and is certified by the European Secretary of Cluster Analysis (ESCA), an international third-party organization.

The Aerospace Alliance began through collaboration between the industry, academia and the government to open a training center alongside the local Training Center for Work (CECATI) for GKN in 2011. The center aimed to develop advanced CNC machining and basic CNC programming capabilities. The training center attracted the attention of Honeywell, which implemented two different welding programs and UTC Aerospace introduced another for assembly. This association was the starting point for Aerospace Alliance. We later expanded by including other aerospace companies and the local support infrastructure such as industrial parks, as well as shelters, industrial promotion organizations and educational centers.

Q: What collaborations allow the alliance to support talent development in Baja California?

A: Aerospace Alliance is focusing on developing key human resources and strengthening the local supplier base. We collaborate closely with national and international education institutions, such as we have a project with universities from the US and Europe to develop non-ferrous materials, including titanium and composites. There are fantastic projects to train future professionals for the aerospace industry with partial financial support from CONACYT and since the creation of the alliance we have developed about eight projects and trained over 1,300 people.

We plan to joining forces to complete the first stateowned Training Center for Advanced Technology (ICAT) in Mexicali and Tijuana. It is also necessary to align university programs geared toward aerospace.