Boeing and Hexcel have signed a deal with Sime Darby and Malaysian Helicopter Services to establish a composite parts manufacturing joint venture in Malaysia, in the second such deal of its type to be reached in Asia by the two Western companies.
The agreement, signed on 14 February, calls for the founding of a company, Asian Composites Manufacturing, to produce secondary composite structures for Boeing and its airline customers. The four partners will each hold equal stakes and invest M$153 million ($43 million) in a new production site in Kedah, northern Malaysia.
The two Western companies earlier agreed with Aviation Industries of China to establish BHA Aero Composites at a site near Beijing, with first deliveries of parts to Boeing scheduled for mid-2000. The joint ventures are viewed as industrial offsets against the sale of large numbers of Boeing aircraft to Malaysia Airlines and carriers in China.
Source: Flight International
