Rabat – French company specializing in aeronautics and car parts Hutchinson unveiled on Wednesday an expansion to its production site in the Moroccan city of Bouskoura, located 20 kilometers south of Casablanca.
Under the investment of more than MAD 150 million ($14.4 million), the 18,700 square meter expansion is set to create 400 additional jobs, including 50 positions for young engineers, indicated Morocco’s Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour.
The site includes a new 4.0 workshop specialized in manufacturing “composite aerospace parts and cabin insulation solutions for the aerospace industry,” indicated Hutchinson in a press release.
The statement added that the facility meets recent criteria of major aeronautical contractors and has “state-of-the-art” equipment that enables the production of crucial composite structural components and top-quality insulation systems.
The production site is forecasted to “support the growth of aerospace activities in Morocco and consolidate Hutchinson’s production capacity for the Boeing B787/B777 and Airbus A330/A220 programs, starting in 2023,” indicated the statement.
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Home to a variety of manufacturing 4.0 technologies, the facility has over 150 touch screens set up to digitize operations and keep track of production performance metrics in real-time. It also provides a digital tutor system at workstations to assist employees throughout different production stages by using video recordings.
The inauguration of the production site expansion
The inauguration ceremony saw the presence of Ryad Mezzour, Hutchinson’s Chairman and CEO Helene Moreau-Leroy, and Senior Executive Vice President of Aerospace Defense and Industry Philippe Olivier.
According to Moreau-Leroy, the expansion “reaffirms” her company’s “desire to establish a long-term presence in Morocco,” highlighting the “solid network of skills and excellent training options” that Moroccan authorities and the Institute of Aeronautical Professions (IMA) offer.
Hutchinson’s CEO emphasized the “strategic” role that the 4.0 site plays in the company’s activities, explaining that it will allow them to “cater more closely to our customers’ needs and expectations.”
