At a recent ceremony with Madame Afaf Saidi, a representative of the Moroccan Department of Industry, Collins Aerospace Systems laid the first stone for the expansion of its site in Casablanca.

Expected to be complete by spring 2020, the extension will increase the site’s size by 40 percent and is anticipated to create 60 new jobs.

Established in 2012, the Casablanca facility conducts final assembly and testing for commercial aircraft cockpit and cabin equipment, including sidesticks, throttles and rudder controls. The site expansion will support the production of rudder controls for the A320neo family as well as the future assembly of Horizontal Stabilizer Trim Actuators for the 777X two new programs Collins Aerospace was selected for in recent years.

As Collins Aerospace’s sole facility in Northern Africa, the expansion of the Casablanca site is also critical to the company’s strategy to grow its footprint in the Middle East and Africa.

“The employees in Casablanca are playing a key role in redefining aerospace by executing on innovative programs for our biggest customers,” said Jean-François Chanut, general manager, Propeller Systems for Collins Aerospace.

“We’re also eager to make new connections with suppliers in the region to strengthen Morocco’s reputation as a key player in the global aviation ecosystem,” he added.

Collins Aerospace Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp., is a leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry.

Created in 2018 by bringing together UTC Aerospace Systems and Rockwell Collins, Collins Aerospace has the capabilities, comprehensive portfolio and expertise to solve customers’ toughest challenges and to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global market.

United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. By combining a passion for science with precision engineering, the company is creating smart, sustainable solutions the world needs.

Photo © Collins Aerospace (Left to Right): Youssef Jroundi, Commercial Director ONDA; Didier Katzenmayer, Director Industrial Affairs Airbus; Hamid Benbrahim el Andaloussi, Président d’Honneur du GIMAS; Jean-François Chanut, General Manager Propeller Systems, Collins Aerospace; Afaf Saidi, a representative of the Moroccan Department of Industry; Karim Cheikh, President of GIMAS; Douglas E. Kelly, Sr. Director for Strategy in Morocco, Boeing