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Friday, October 01, 2004

Eurocopter to open plant in Romania

Sept. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Eurocopter SA, the world's biggest
maker of civil helicopters, may set up an assembly plant in Romania
to win more business in Central Europe.

Eurocopter, a unit of European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co.,
will probably assemble EC135 helicopters at Brasov, north of
Bucharest, where the company maintains and overhauls helicopters
for Romania and other countries, said Christoph Mueller, a
Eurocopter spokesman, in an interview in Munich. He declined to
give the timing or the size of the investment.

``It is our long-term goal to set up an assembly line once
there is sufficient demand,'' Mueller said. ``One of the most
promising markets is Eastern Europe.''

EADS says the EC135 can help countries offer better border
control and emergency medical services. Romania is seeking to join
the European Union in 2007 along with neighbor Bulgaria. It has
borders with other two non-EU countries, Ukraine and Moldova.

Aerospace and defense companies often offer to hire workers
and assemble products locally to help win business. The company in
August signed a contract with Romania worth as much as 650 million
euros ($800 million) to supply border-control systems that meet EU
standards.

Eurocopter has delivered five EC135 helicopters to the
Romanian Ministry of Defense and eight to the Czech Republic. The
list price for the EC135 is 2.5 million euros. The company has had
a licensing agreement with the Romanian government since the 1970s.
Eurocopter's military sales will account for more than half of
all sales by 2007 as the company delivers Tiger attack helicopters
and NH-90 search and rescue craft, compared with 49 percent
currently, Mueller said.

Eurocopter has 354 orders and 86 options for NH-90 helicopters
from 11 countries and has orders for 206 Tiger helicopters from
four countries, he said.

Posted by Mihai : 10/01/2004 04:27:00 pm