Airbus expands Tianjin production, opening new opportunities for Chinese suppliers
The globalisation of production has long ceased to be a simple transfer of assembly lines. Today it is a complex ecosystem where technology, logistics and human capital intertwine into a single organism, creating value for all participants.
The assembly plant in Tianjin is one of Airbus's four final assembly bases worldwide and the company's first final assembly line outside Europe. On Wednesday, this cooperation reached a new milestone when Airbus delivered the first aircraft assembled at its new final assembly line for A320 family aircraft in Tianjin, the second such line in both China and Asia. The delivery represents an important milestone in the expansion of Airbus's production base in China and across its entire global industrial system, the company said.
"Airbus's presence has contributed to the localisation of the supply chain in the aviation industry. According to our statistics, about 23 Chinese and foreign companies now operate in Tianjin, supporting the Airbus project by supplying their products directly to the Airbus final assembly line. This has also helped unite the entire aviation industry supply chain in Tianjin, including manufacturing, air transport, logistics services and on-site maintenance, involving more than 100 companies," said Zheng Jian, director of the Aviation Industry Development Bureau of the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone.
In recent years, Airbus has continued to modernise its production structure in China. Cooperation with China now covers the entire aircraft life cycle, from research and development, production and final assembly to operational support, dismantling and recycling after decommissioning. The improvement of China's equipment manufacturing capabilities and an increasingly sophisticated logistics and transport system — from precise delivery of large components to efficient connection of production processes — have provided reliable support for the introduction and development of Airbus projects in China.
"On the other hand, we see a need for innovation and constant progress, and that is exactly what we like and what we focus on — to take part in this huge Chinese pace of development, as we call it, and to see what innovations we can adopt, work with and perhaps introduce into aircraft later," said Eric Buschmann, Chief Operating Officer of Airbus China.
