São Paulo – Helibras, a Brazilian helicopter manufacturing company, announced last week that it will invest 420 million Brazilian reals (US$ 235 million) to expand its plant in the municipality of Itajubá, in the state of Minas Gerais. The unit will be expanded by 11,000 square metres in order for the large-sized EC 725 helicopter model to be manufactured. The government of the state of Minas owns 25% of Helibras’ voting capital, by means of company MGI Participações. Other shareholders are the Eurocopter and Bueninvest groups.
The plant’s expansion is going to create 400 new direct jobs and 3,000 indirect ones. Expansion works are scheduled to begin in March next year and should be concluded by 2012. The first three helicopters will be made by Eurocopter, in France, and from then on the technology wil be transferred to the Brazilian plant.
"We are sending 40 Brazilian engineers and technicians to be trained as the helicopters are manufactured, and the technology will be transferred. We will also receive European technicians who are going to follow up the construction of the premises and the entry into operation of the production line," explained the president of Helibras, Eduardo Marson Ferreira.
Presently, Helibras employs 250 people in Brazil and has annual net revenues of US$ 90 million. Countries such as Argentina, Bolivia and Chile are among the leading importers of Helibras helicopters. Since its inception, in 1978, Helibras has made 500 helicopters, mostly of the Esquilo (Squirrel) model, used mainly for transporting passengers in large cities.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
