Consumer aircraft manufacturer Icon Aircraft (Vacaville, California / USA; http://iconaircraft.com) is investing USD 150m in a new production plant in Tijuana / Mexico, where it will start producing carbon fibre reinforced composite components for its “A5” amphibious sports plane in early 2017. The 28,000 m² facility will create more than 1,000 jobs in the region. The company previously relied on external partners to supply it with these airframe parts, and said the decision to open its own facility is central to its improved production strategy. “By bringing composite fabrication in-house, we will be able to ensure that components meet Icon’s strict quality and cost standards while also allowing us to more rapidly implement changes as we continue to improve our processes,” said company CEO and founder Kirk Hawkins.

Operations at the facility will be overseen by Manufacturing vice president Thomas Wieners, who previously set up Bombardier’s facility in Mexico, and also held leadership roles in manufacturing at Mercedes-Benz. The parts produced in Tijuana will be delivered to Icon’s facility in northern California, where the company will undertake the rest of aircraft manufacturing process. According to Wieners, “Tijuana is ideal for Icon’s needs because it is a rapidly-emerging industrial centre with the infrastructure and skilled labour force, including composites and aerospace expertise, to produce the volume and quality of composites we need to meet the significant A5 demand.”

Icon has received more than USD 400m in aircraft orders and delivered its first A5 in July 2015. This year the company expects to complete about 20 of the amphibious aircraft. The company is not the only global manufacturer to set up shop in Mexico, where both the automotive and aviation industries are booming. The country’s government recently announced plans to further support this growth, including by means of an initiative touted by Bancomext to offer financial support for the aviation segment (for more details, see Plasteurope.com of 25.08.2016).