Mexico must commit to developing technology in the aerospace industry

Mexico must abandon its role as a manufacturing country and begin to see itself as a technology developer if it wants to remain competitive and even join the global elite in the aerospace industry, said Alejandro Cardona Seemann, president of Safran Mexico.

The executive explained that global demand for aircraft is guaranteed and, therefore, so is the volume in the production chain. As a result, competitors, in this case each country, must not only maintain but also improve their competitiveness in areas such as talent training, quality standards, on-time deliveries, domestic and international trade, and fiscal certainty.

“The biggest challenge for Mexico is how we increasingly position ourselves as a producer of technology, and by producer I mean creator of technology. It is essential that the government understands this,” explained Cardona Seemann in an interview with A21.

Among the examples he cited of countries with a high level of domestic industry development are Morocco and India, the latter under the “Make in India” program, a government initiative that motivates and encourages companies to develop, manufacture, and assemble products within that country.

“Mexico, on the other hand, has focused on its geographical competitiveness, but is not developing its domestic market, and that is its greatest threat. We cannot continue to pretend that our competitiveness will come from the maquiladora industry,” added the head of Safran in the country.

While he highlighted the importance of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in promoting North America as the most competitive region in the world in the sector, our country must also have a global vision. “Regionalization, while it must be worked on to be more competitive, is not at the expense of isolation from globalization,” he said.

He clarified that the government is sensitive to the challenge, even highlighting the efforts that Marcelo Ebrard, Secretary of Economy, has made to attract global attention to Mexico, including hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in 2028 and the Science and Technology for Society Forum 2025 (STS Forum), an event that is held regularly in Japan.

Alejandro Cardona Seemann commented that the engine manufacturer plans to expand its operations in Querétaro by expanding three plants: Safran Aero Composites, Safran Landing Systems Services Americas, and Safran Aircraft Engine Services Americas.

“The investment is around 2.6 billion pesos, creating 238 jobs in the Bajío region alone. We are working on other projects at the national level, but these will be announced later,” he said.

The expansion in Querétaro includes the creation of a “world-class” facility that will manufacture landing gear for long-range aircraft and two engine test benches.

These announcements came after a meeting with Mauricio Kuri González, governor of Querétaro, where Safran currently has almost 4,000 employees out of the approximately 16,000 it has throughout Mexico.