Aerospace: Mexico's rapidly growing industry

Mexico is the offshore manufacturing destination for numerous industries, but the one that has been steadily advancing in the past few years is aerospace. From Queretaro to Sonora, aerospace manufacturing in Mexico is expanding at breakneck speed. According to Aviation Week, Mexico's aerospace manufacturing group Federación Mexicana de la Industria Aeroespacial (FEMIA) announced the country's aviation potential in Europe in 2009. Queretaro's aerospace cluster only had one tenet in 2005 - Canadian manufacturer Bombardier. Since 2006, Mexico's aerospace industry has grown 20 percent annually, according to The Guardian. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that in 2011 the Mexican Aerospace Industry Federation estimated the aerospace industry in Mexico employed approximately 32,000 people. With this strong growth, Mexico is set to become a leading producer to aviation parts in the near future.

Potential for growth
According to Flight Global, an aviation news source, by 2009 Queretaro's industrial cluster was home to half a dozen aerospace manufacturers, and about a dozen at the end of 2010. With Queretaro airport just a short distance away from the cluster, it's only natural that many manufacturers would set up shop, according to The Guardian.

The Mexican government even instituted an aerospace program in 2006 to facilitate expansion in the industry and become one of the globe's top aviation suppliers, Flight Global reported. Some universities near industrial clusters also have undergraduate degrees in aerospace, which is fostering an increased awareness of the industry in the area and improving the workforce's expertise in the industry, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

"The country's main asset is that it borders the U.S., the top market for commercial and military aviation," said Alfredo Nolasco, spokesman for Bombardier Mexico, according to The Guardian. "Being so close enables us to deliver parts in eight days at the most, compared with more than 20 in Asia."

According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, California already has an established aerospace industry that many manufacturers in Mexico take advantage given their close proximity. 

In fact, between 2009 and 2012, The Guardian reported the country's aviation exports doubled to $5.4 billion. By 2020, FEMIA estimates Mexico will host the production process of 450 manufacturers, 110,000 jobs and $12 billion in exports. According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, Queretaro and Chihuahua are two of the industrial clusters that have seen the most growth in aerospace.