American Eurocopter Inaugurates a new Facility in Columbus, Mississippi
Marignane, 20 October 2004
A throng of customers, and political and industrial leaders were on hand for the inauguration ceremony of American Eurocopter's new plant in Columbus, Mississippi. American Eurocopter is a North American subsidiary of Eurocopter.
Next to Columbus Airport's "Golden Triangle", the new site will provide work for about 100 engineers, technicians and administrative staff.
The activities of the new 2,400 acre site will involve manufacturing, assembly and customization. The Columbus site will mainly focus on the assembly and customization of the helicopters sold by American Eurocopter to local and federal government organizations for military operations, homeland security and other parapublic missions.
As far as manufacturing is concerned, the Columbus facility has already started manufacturing rear fuselage sections of the AS 350 (AStar) helicopters assembled in the USA and France. Another activity will be the production of the components for the re-engining kits boosting the performance of the US Coast Guard HH65 Dauphins.
As Eurocopter President Fabrice Brégier noted during the ceremony: "Not only will the new site play a decisive role in the development of American Eurocopter in the USA, but it will also be vital in providing a more positive response to the needs of our customers and in offering them even greater satisfaction. I have no doubt that the new site will have an impact well outside the borders of the USA and that it will enhance Eurocopter's standing throughout the world."
The Columbus facility is already up and running: the first AS 350 AStars have been assembled, customized, and acceptance-tested on the site, and delivered to their customers.
On the day of the site inauguration ceremony, the first EC 120 Colibri produced by the plant was delivered to its customer, Pacer Communications and the EMS operator State Medevac signed for two new EC 145..
The plant will also assemble and customize the 55 EC 120s that the Department of Homeland Security has decided to acquire for the US Border Patrol.
Eurocopter is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS. EADS is a global company specializing in the aerospace and defence sectors and related services. In 2003, EADS generated revenues of €30.1 billion, and employed a workforce of over 109,000. EADS includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus; Eurocopter, the world's largest helicopter manufacturer; and joint venture MBDA, the world's second largest missile company. EADS is also the biggest partner in the Eurofighter consortium and is developing the A400M military transport aircraft. EADS is the lead industrial partner in the European Galileo programme for satellite-based navigation.
For further information, please contact:
Jean-Louis ESPES
Eurocopter
Aéroport International Marseille Provence
13725 Marignane Cedex – France
Tel.: + 33 (0) 4 42 85 95 55
Fax: + 33 (0) 4 42 85 95 64
Christina GOTZHEIN
Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH
D-81663 Munich - Germany
Tel.: + 49 (0) 89 60 00 64 88
Fax: + 49 (0) 89 60 00 44 37
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