Tata Steel has today expanded its aerospace operations in China by opening its second aerospace service centre in the country. The new facility in Xi'an complements its existing operation in Suzhou, opened in 2009, and aims to serve the growing demand for aerospace materials in the region.

The new facility in Xi'an (approx 600 miles south west of Beijing) will serve a growing aerospace manufacturing base in the region, which already accounts for 40% of the total aerospace manufacturing capacity in China. The demand for aerospace material is primarily driven by the supply chains for the Chinese state-owned aerospace companies COMAC and AVIC, but also includes an increasing number of collaborations and joint ventures between existing Tata Steel customers, such as Safran, Messier-Bugatti-Dowty, Rolls-Royce, Moog, Goodrich and Liebherr, and state-owned companies that feed into these.

Commenting at the opening ceremony, Mark Broxholme, Tata Steel's MD Speciality Steels, said: "Following on from the development of our successful operation in Suzhou, this facility not only allows us to continue to serve our existing customer base as they develop and grow in Xi'an, but also allows us to forge new relationships with the expanding Chinese-owned aerospace manufacturing base."

Zebin Jiang, General Manager of both the Tata Steel aerospace service centres in China, added: "Over 30% of our existing despatches from Suzhou come to the Xi'an aerospace industry. Getting ourselves established here allows us to grow hand-in-hand with our customers and partners in China.

"From our experience at Suzhou we know that the local supply chains will benefit from our proven ability to supply our own aerospace steels, as well as bought-in non-ferrous material, on a just-in-time basis with the right certification and the high levels of traceability demanded by aerospace companies."

About Xi'an
Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi Province and has a population of about 8.5 million. The city was the starting point of the "Silk Road" and is the home of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin. In November 2006 the city of Xi'an and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation jointly set up the Xi'an Aerospace Science and Technology Industrial Base. It is expected that by the end of 2012 the aerospace industry output in the region will total $2.8 billion.

About Tata Steel in Europe
The European operations of Tata Steel comprise Europe's second largest steel producer. With the main steelmaking operations in the UK and Netherlands, they supply steel and related services to the construction, automotive, packaging, lifting & excavating, energy & power, aerospace and other demanding markets worldwide. The combined Tata Steel group is one of the world's largest steel producers, with an aggregate crude steel capacity of more than 28 million tonnes and approximately 80,000 employees across four continents.