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38 Negocios

Photos courtesy of honeywell

mind over matter

Founded in 1904, Honeywell has a 30-year presence in Mexico, where it develops aerospace systems. Its goal is to apply Mexican talent to compete not only in manufacturing but also in project design and management.
by gUstavo archiga

oneywell has its head in the clouds and its feet in Mexico. Founded in 1904 by a young engineer by the name of Mark Honeywell, the company now has 122,000 employees worldwide. That includes 19,000-plus engineers and scientists whose task is to invent, design and manufacture products that respond to global trends in safety and energy efficiency. Part of that design effort and intellectual capacity is located in North Mexico, in facilities that develop aerospace projects for commercial airlines and the military. The Mexicali Research & Technology Center in Baja California is one of a kind. This 35-million-dollar system integration lab has

mexicOS ParTner honeywell

honeywells research & technology center in mexicali, BaJa california is one of a kind. this 35million-dollar system integration laB has Been in operation since 2007 and employs 400 people, engaged in the design engineering and testing of components for aircraft systems.

been in operation since 2007 and employs 400 people engaged in the design engineering and testing of components for aircraft systems. Also on the border, Honeywell Chihuahua Manufacturing Operations is a manufacturing center that produces mechanical engine components. These facilities in Chihuahua have been recognized as a Center of Excellence in advanced precision mechanics for commercial and military aircraft engines. Honeywell is also present in Monterrey, Nuevo Len, where it has a center that serves suppliers and supports the manufacture of commercial vehicles and jets. In 1986, Honeywell significantly enhanced its position in the aerospace industry with the acquisition of Sperry Aerospace, which

contributed flight controls, space vehicles and the first FAA-certified wind shear warning system, making Honeywell the worlds leading integrator of avionics systems. It was around that time that the company realized Mexico had the potential to be competitive in the aerospace industry and began hiring engineering graduates and professionals with six or seven years of engineering experience. According to Alfredo Crdenas Roldn, director of the Mexicali Research & Technology Center, Honeywell has invested in Mexico for strategic reasons because its proximity to the US and South America facilitates product transportation and because it has a steady supply of skilled labor, with 90,000 engineers

graduating each year from reputable universities like the Tec de Monterrey, the National Polytechnic Institute and research centers funded by the National Science and Technology Council (CONACYT). You find cosmopolitan people educated at good schools and who like aerospace engineering. The company realized theres a lot of talent in Mexico in the field of engineering. Thats why the design groups have grown so much. Were asserting ourselves in the design of the products Mexico makes. Were starting with simple products but the long term goal is for all manufactured goods in Mexico to also be designed here; to do away with all the coming and going whereby products are designed and approved in the US and then manufactured

40 Negocios

Photos courtesy of honeywell

on the commercial end, honeywell has also foUnd an ally in mexico. the company has teams providing assistance for corporate Jet and commercial airline markets, while mexico leads in cUstomer services for latin america.

green aPPrOacH This summer, the Mexican airline Interjet made its first round-trip passenger flight using Honeywell Green Jet Fuel, a biofuel produced from Jatropha curcas. Flight 2605 departed from Mexico City and landed safely in Tuxtla Gutirrez, Chiapas. The fuel used to power the Airbus A320-214 was produced using a process technology developed by Honeywell UOP, which turns the natural oils and fats in the Jatropha into a biofuel that is then blended with petroleumbased jet fuel. The use of this biofuel can reduce a flights carbon footprint by as much as 80% compared to conventional jet fuel. in Mexico. The idea is to position Mexico as a leader in the technology that develops the products designed here, says Crdenas. On the commercial end, Honeywell has also found an ally in Mexico. The company has teams providing assistance for corporate jet and commercial airline markets, while Mexico leads in customer services for Latin America. Honeywell has employees in Baja California and Monterrey who handle corporate projects and programs, take care of the finances and engineering design, draw up contracts, deliver products and provide after-sales support. Crdenas believes Mexico has an enormous advantage in its manufacturing costs which are extremely competitive, sometimes lower even than in Asian markets. Mexico also has great potential on the operating side of things. But its the engineering aspect thats really taking off. Thanks to Honeywell, other companies in Mexicali are bringing in engineering teams for their own projects. On the supply front, Honeywell has a chain of direct and indirect suppliers who have buoyed its success in Mexico for many years. The challenge here is that the aerospace industry demands certified products, which implies costs too expensive for many smallscale manufacturers to absorb. Honeywell is trying to surmount these obstacles so the products manufactured at its facilities can also be designed by Mexican minds. But its not all business. Since 2008, Honeywell has been organizing university programs to support and promote science and math in Monterrey, Chihuahua and Mexicali. For example, the Rocket Club is an educational physics project where kids can learn about the concepts of gravity and mass by building their own rockets. In the mid-term, the company plans to expand its global Honeywell Turbo Technologies program and set up a world class testing center in Mexicali. The MultiAir gasoline engine Fiat automobiles are equipped with is an example of that technology, which offers 10% more power and a 15% improvement in fuel economy compared to conventional engines, resulting in reduced emissions of CO2 and polluting particles. Mexicos aerospace sector has experienced exponential growth over the last decade, to the point where it is now the sixth largest worldwide. Exports have also grown in the last five years, touching 3.13 billion usd in 2008. Clearly the sector is in good health and has a lot more than hot air propelling it. n
www.honeywell.com

a gianT Of THe air wiTH a mexican flair System integration testing for the Airbus A350 and the design of the HTF 7500 engine for Embraer are the main aerospace engineering projects Honeywell is focused on in Mexico. The Airbus A350 competes directly with the Boeing 787 and is indubitably Honeywells priority program here. The crafts rear engine, cockpit system, engine system, control electronics, fans and valves are being designed in Mexicali, Baja California, while state-of-theart aerodynamics are being employed to reduce wind resistance and improve speed and fuel economy.

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