The full launch of the new Airbus logistics center in China’s Tianjin Free Trade Zone is due to occur next month. The facility will manage the European manufacturer’s industrial cooperation projects in China, where six companies, in different cities and with individual supply chains, manufacture parts and components for Airbus.
The move increases the collective presence of Airbus and U.S. competitor Boeing in China. The People’s Republic offers the prospect of many hundreds of orders for jetliners needed for what is forecast to become the world’s second largest domestic aviation market.
The two companies have worked hard for many years to establish influence through direct investment, joint ventures or other partnerships, or employment of Chinese manufacturers to make parts. Indeed, for domestic customers, Airbus has opened a Chinese A320 final assembly line, which aims to produce four a month independently from European production requirements.
