OREANDA-NEWS. November 16, 2012. Tata Steel expanded its aerospace operations in China by opening its second aerospace service centre in the country. The new facility in Xi’an complements its existing operation in Suzhou, opened in 2009, and aims to serve the growing demand for aerospace materials in the region.

The new facility in Xi’an (approx 600 miles south west of Beijing) will serve a growing aerospace manufacturing base in the region, which already accounts for 40 percent of the total aerospace manufacturing capacity in China. The demand for aerospace material is primarily driven by the supply chains for the Chinese state-owned aerospace companies COMAC and AVIC, but also includes an increasing number of collaborations and joint ventures between existing Tata Steel customers, such as Safran, Messier-Bugatti-Dowty, Rolls-Royce, Moog, Goodrich and Liebherr and state-owned companies that feed into these.

Commenting at the opening ceremony, Mark Broxholme, MD, speciality steels, Tata Steel, said, “Following on from the development of our successful operation in Suzhou, this facility not only allows us to continue to serve our existing customer base as they develop and grow in Xi’an, but also allows us to forge new relationships with the expanding Chinese-owned aerospace manufacturing base.”

Zebin Jiang, general manager of both the Tata Steel aerospace service centres in China, added, “Over 30 percent of our existing despatches from Suzhou come to the Xi’an aerospace industry. Getting ourselves established here allows us to grow hand-in-hand with our customers and partners in China.

“From our experience at Suzhou, we know that the local supply chains will benefit from our proven ability to supply our own aerospace steels, as well as bought-in non-ferrous material, on a just-in-time basis with the right certification and the high levels of traceability demanded by aerospace companies.”