Icon Aircraft new plant in Tijuana won’t affect California jobs, company says

Warning: foreach() argument must be of type array|object, bool given in /home/mexiconow/public_html/sites/mexiconow/wp-content/themes/mexiconowwpnew/single.php on line 254

Icon Aircraft's new manufacturing site in Tijuana, Mexico, will not affect jobs of any current California-based employees, the company said to a local newspaper.

The aircraft company announced construction of the plant in Tijuana, Mexico, where it will produce composite airframe components for the A5.

Airframe parts produced at the plant, due to start operations in November, will be delivered to Icon’s factory in Vacaville where the rest of the aircraft manufacturing will continue, including paint, systems installation, final assembly, testing and aircraft delivery.

“Icon’s new composite facility in Mexico is central to the improved production strategy we announced this May,” Kirk Hawkins, Icon founder and chief executive officer, said in a press release. “By bringing composite fabrication in-house, we will be able to ensure that components meet Icon’s strict quality and cost standards.”

Icon’s vice president of manufacturing, Thomas Wieners, said in the release that “manufacturing in Mexico is a powerful capability for a global industrial company, which many others in the aerospace, automotive and power sports sectors have recognized for years.”

“Tijuana is ideal for Icon’s needs because it is a rapidly emerging industrial center with the infrastructure and skilled labor force, including composites and aerospace expertise, to produce the volume and quality of composites we need to meet the significant A5 demand,” Weiners said.

Icon joins other global manufacturing companies with facilities in Mexico, including Gulfstream, GE, BRP, Polaris, Audi, Ford and many others, the company said. Icon is a consumer aircraft manufacturer.

MexicoNow