Brazil’s Embraer to build plants in Europe

[Judi Lynn]

Brazil’s Embraer to build plants in Europe
By Peter Wise

Published: July 26 2008 00:16 | Last updated: July 26 2008 00:16

Embraer, the Brazilian aircraft maker, will on Saturday announce an agreement with the Portuguese government to invest €148m in its first European industrial plants, which will export complex structures including wings and tailpieces.

Based near Évora in southern Portugal, the two units will focus on machining and assembling large metallic parts and the manufacture of fuselage and other components from composite materials. Production is scheduled to begin in 2011 and 2012 respectively.

Embraer, which has overtaken Bombardier of Canada in recent years to become the world’s leading maker of commercial jets with up to 120 seats, said the two “Centres of Excellence” based in Portugal were part of its strategic development plans for 2008-2012.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president, will be in Portugal for the signing of the agreement with the Lisbon government, which is the result of talks begun during a 2006 visit to Brazil by José Sócrates, Portugal’s Socialist prime minister.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d85e32c8-5a6c-11dd-bf96-000077b07658.html