Mexico is a key node in North America’s aerospace supply chain, with over 300 aerospace part manufacturers (data from FEMIA, the Mexican Aerospace Industry Association). However, 60% of large precision parts—such as fuselage frames, wing assemblies, and engine nacelle components—rely on imports. This “persistent challenge” has long plagued local businesses:
Big parts—like fuselage frames that stretch over 2000mm long—can’t fit into regular sea containers. You’ve got to use specialized shipping, things like breakbulk vessels that handle oversized cargo. That pushes transportation costs up by 50% compared to standard shipments. A manager at a Mexican wing assembly plant put it plainly: “For an imported fuselage frame, just the shipping cost eats up a third of the part’s total price. It’s a huge chunk we can’t avoid right now.”
Getting imported parts from Europe or the U.S. to Mexico takes 8 to 12 weeks— and that’s counting everything: production time, shipping across the ocean, even waiting for customs to clear. For aerospace companies that run on Just-In-Time (JIT) schedules, where parts need to arrive exactly when they’re needed, this delay is a nightmare. It often shuts down production lines, and per FEMIA’s numbers, those shutdowns cost up to $1 million every week.
Imported parts incur tariffs (10%), intermediary fees (15%), and shipping costs, making them 40% more expensive than local production. A Mexican aerospace maintenance company stated: “The high cost of imported engine components forces us to raise repair prices, leading to customer churn.”
To address these pain points, Chinese precision machining factories offer a “gantry machining center + five-axis CNC + localized services” package, providing a one-stop solution for large, complex aerospace parts:
Chinese factories’ gantry machining centers (with a travel range of 2000×1500×800mm) can easily process large parts like fuselage frames (over 2000mm in length). Their high-precision guideways (positioning error ±0.005mm) ensure linearity and flatness meet aerospace standards (e.g., AMS 2750), eliminating precision deviations caused by maritime vibration.
Complex parts like wing assemblies or turbine casings (with curved surfaces, angled holes, and cavities) require five-axis CNC machining. Chinese five-axis linkage CNC machines (e.g., DMG MORI NTX 2000) achieve 360° error-free machining, reducing scrap rates from 8% to 1% (for a Mexican engine component supplier’s turbine casing).
• Local Warehouse: Chinese factories have established a large warehouse in Mexico City, storing common aerospace materials (e.g., aluminum 7075, titanium Ti-6Al-4V) to reduce material procurement lead time (from 4 weeks to 1 week);
• Fast Turnaround: With gantry+five-axis CNC’s “batch processing capability,” lead time for large parts is shortened from 8-12 weeks to 3-4 weeks (e.g., fuselage frames);
• Quality Certification: All parts comply with AS9100 aerospace quality standards and come with third-party inspection reports (e.g., SGS), eliminating Mexican customers’ concerns about “Chinese part quality.”
Chinese factories’ scale production advantages (e.g., processing 100 large parts per month) and localized logistics (reduced shipping costs via the Mexico City warehouse) make parts 30% cheaper than imports. For example, a Mexican wing assembly plant’s “wing spar” part costs $2000/unit(imported)vs.1400/unit (Chinese machining), saving $600,000 annually (for 1000 units).
ABC Wing Assembly Plant (Mexico City) is a leading local aerospace supplier, producing wing components for North American airlines. Previously, the plant relied entirely on European imports for fuselage frames, facing three major issues:
• Long lead time: 8 weeks, causing production line shutdowns;
• High cost: $2000/unit, compressing profit margins;
• Quality issues: ±0.015mm precision deviations (from maritime vibration), leading to a 10% customer complaint rate.
In 2024, ABC partnered with a Chinese gantry+CNC factory, adopting its “localized solution”:
• Gantry machining center for fuselage frames (2000×1200×500mm), achieving ±0.008mm precision;
• Mexico City warehouse for material storage, reducing procurement lead time;
• AS9100 certification and third-party inspection to ensure quality.
Results:
• Lead time reduced from 8 weeks to 3 weeks;
• Cost reduced by 30% (2000/unit to 1400/unit);
• Customer complaint rate dropped from 10% to 1%.
Gonzalez, ABC’s general manager, commented: “The Chinese factory’s gantry+CNC solution freed us from import dependence. Now, we can respond to customer needs faster and double our profit margins.”
For Mexican aerospace companies, machining large, complex parts is no longer an “unsolvable challenge.” Chinese gantry+CNC factories’ “large part machining capability”, “localized services”, “cost efficiency”, and “aerospace quality standards” provide a “design-to-delivery” one-stop solution.
If your Mexican aerospace company is struggling with “import dependence for large parts,” consider Chinese factories’ “gantry+CNC localized solutions.” We can help you shorten lead times, reduce costs, improve quality, and enhance your competitiveness in the North American aerospace market.
Visit our website to learn more about aerospace part machining cases and services:
www.simituo.com