Boeing and the Kingdom of Morocco have announced plans to establish a Boeing industrial ecosystem in Morocco that will bring 120 Boeing suppliers to the country, create 8,200 skilled jobs, and generate $1 billion in exports, according to the company.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining the project, signed by Morocco's Minister of Industry, Trade, Investment and the Digital Economy Moulay Hafid Elalamy and Boeing Vice Chairman Raymond L. Conner, comes just days before Boeing is set to host the third annual U.S.-Morocco Trade & Investment Forum in Seattle on October 3.
The conference brings U.S. business leaders together with Moroccan officials to learn about investment opportunities in the Kingdom.
According to Elalamy, the Moroccan aeronautics industry has multiplied by six in 10 years and today boasts 121 companies.
Boeing has had a presence in Morocco since at least 2001, when the company became a co-founder of Morocco Aero-Technical Interconnect Systems (MATIS) Aerospace, which produces parts and engines for Boeing jets and employs 850 people in Casablanca.
The new aerospace ecosystem will further cement Boeing’s presence in Morocco by bringing suppliers to the country, building factories, and streamlining the manufacturing platform. Boeing has also agreed to train the local workforce to meet demands for skilled labor.
Photo: Morocco’s King Mohammed VI (right) shakes hands with Raymond L. Conner, Vice Chairman of The Boeing Company and President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, at a ceremony in Tangier, Morocco held September 27, 2016.