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Mississauga-based Magellan Aerospace will go where no
company in that industry has gone before, if it
succeeds with its plans to establish the first
independent processing facility catering to the
aerospace industry in India.
It's one small step for the company that could
eventually lead to a giant leap in business in an
emerging market with a huge need for aircraft, says
Bill Matthews, marketing vice-president for Magellan.
The firm has been developing a supply chain in India
for three years, focusing on finished machine parts
for the civil aviation industry. The new processing
facility will treat finished airframe parts made of
aluminium, titanium and stainless steel with chemical
etching, adhesives, anti-corrosives and other
coatings.
Magellan is joining QuEST Machining and Manufacturing
in a 50-50 partnership, with each investing about $1.3
million (U.S.) in a 10,000-square-foot facility to be
built northwest of Bangalore, with the opening
scheduled in 2008, says Matthews.
QuEST employs 900 engineers in India, the U.S., Europe
and Japan.
Magellan designs, engineers and manufactures engine
and airframe assemblies and components for aerospace
markets, and advanced products for military and space
markets. It's a public company whose shares trade on
the Toronto Stock Exchange, and also has operations in
the U.S. and U.K.
"We've been active in India and China, but India is
more attractive to us because the language is English,
and the people are well educated for the most part and
entrepreneurial," Matthews says.
Some analysts believe the Indian market for aircraft
will eventually exceed that of North America,
currently the largest, he says.
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