AlliedSignal Aerospace is aiming to finalise the first of three planned manufacturing joint ventures with Chinese industry by October, strengthening its bid to participate in the Sino-European Airbus/Avic/Singapore Technologies AE31X programme.
The first joint venture involves a partnership with China Aero Technology Import & Export (CATIC) to produce auxiliary-power-unit (APU) components, including turbine discs, shafts and retainer rings and avionics, wheels and brakes. "It's our way of bringing our presence into China," explains AlliedSignal China vice-president Francis Yuen.
The US company hopes to announce the link by early October, in time for the China Aviation Expo in Beijing. Work is planned to begin in 1998 at a new site, likely to be in the Suzhou industrial park. AlliedSignal will hold a majority 51% stake and Catic the remainder.
A second partnership is being negotiated with Aviation Industries of China (AVIC) and its newly named subsidiary Shanghai Avionics, to produce weather radars, radios and aircraft communications addressing and reporting systems, and possibly traffic-collision-avoidance systems.
AlliedSignal is holding separate talks with China Aviation Supplies and the Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials about developing and qualifying new linings for its brakes.
According to Yuen, the joint ventures would boost AlliedSignal's investment in China to over $200 million by 2000. An earlier joint venture with AVIC's plant in Nanjing will begin producing environmental-control-system (ECS) components in 1998.
Source: Flight International
