Premium AEROTEC commences manufacture of aircraft components at its new factory in Ghimbav, Bra?ov County, Romania. The company is thus continuing to extend its business activities and pursue a course of expansion. Surrounded by the workforce, plant manager Jochen von Wurmb gave the signal for production kick-off at the 60,000-square-metre facility.

Roughly eight months had elapsed from the ground-breaking ceremony in May 2010 until the start of production. This first building section will provide qualified jobs for about 300 people. The new plant will specialise in the production and assembly of metal components for all Airbus series programmes (A320 family, A330/A340, A380). It will be smoothly integrated in the process chain of Premium AEROTEC's German sites at Augsburg, Bremen, Nordenham and Varel.

"The choice of a new location is always a long-term and strategic decision," said Dr. Dieter Meiners, Chief Operating Officer of Premium AEROTEC and CEO of the local subsidiary Premium AEROTEC S.R.L. "The technological development of our EU partner Romania will benefit from the long-term boost to its aerospace industry brought about by establishing our plant here," Meiners continued. "The high expert potential in the region enables us to offer high-quality European products at global market prices on a long-term basis. By making this decision, we have successfully safeguarded all jobs at our German sites as well as creating new ones here in Romania. What is more, this improves our company's competitive ability on the global market." Premium AEROTEC is planning to extend the new production facility with a second construction phase this year. Europe's leading aerostructures specialist will then employ a workforce of up to 500 at its state-of-the-art production facilities. The workload of the new plant in Ghimbav comes largely from orders that had previously been assigned to subcontractors in the euro zone. The Premium AEROTEC facilities are in the immediate vicinity of traditional Romanian aviation company IAR Bra?ov and Eurocopter's Romanian subsidiary.

"The message conveyed to us by the authorities in Bucharest and Bra?ov, saying that we are most welcome here, is something we feel very deeply. We will be another prime example of the positive economic development in this region," said Jochen von Wurmb. "We will also continue to build the future of this location. That is how we will guarantee that Premium AEROTEC gains a stable and enduring position in the economy and society of Romania."