Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders joined Chinese officials and partners Monday in opening The Harbin Hafei Airbus Composite Manufacturing Centre. The facility is a joint venture between Airbus and its Chinese partners.

The new facilities will mainly be used to manufacture composite parts for the A350 XWB, Airbus' latest aircraft program.

The 33,800-square-metre state-of-the-art facilities are the first of what will be an 80,000-square-metres manufacturing compound, which will house production, technical support, office areas and other services.

"The inauguration of the Manufacturing Centre demonstrates we are well prepared for the production of the A350 XWB components. It's our honor and pleasure to be involved in the production of the world's most advanced aircraft, the A350 XWB, and to become an integrated part of the global supply chain of Airbus, the world's leading aircraft manufacturer," said Li Fangyong, vice president of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

"The Chinese have every reason to be proud they are contributing to the A350 XWB. The aircraft will set new standards in terms of eco-efficiency and passenger appeal," Enders said. "The Manufacturing Centre in Harbin and other Chinese partners will play an important role in its success."

The Harbin Manufacturing Centre will produce A350 XWB components including rudders, elevators, Section 19 maintenance doors and belly fairing parts. All in all, that's a significant part of the 5 percent of the A350 XWB airframe work packages to be carried out in China. About 53 percent of the aircraft's structure will be made of composite materials. The Manufacturing Centre uses the world's most advanced equipment and technology, including automated-tape-laying, autoclave, automated trimming, and non-destructive test equipments.

Construction on the facilities started in June 2009. The facilities were built to the highest industry standards, and eco-efficiency has been a decisive factor when designing its buildings and processes. Key features to minimize its environmental footprint include the management of heating, lighting, power and electricity systems, careful management of the supply chain and environmental awareness training for employees and suppliers. By 2016, around 600 employees are expected to be working at the Harbin Manufacturing Centre.

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Harbin Hafei Airbus Composite Manufacturing Centre is a joint venture between Airbus China and a group of Chinese partners comprising Harbin Aircraft Industry Group Corp Ltd, Hafei Aviation Industry Co Ltd, AviChina Industry & Technology Co Ltd and Harbin Development Zone Infrastructure Development Co Ltd. It started production of A320 elevators, rudders and Horizontal Tail Plane (HTP) spars in December 2009. Chinese companies contribute 5 percent of the A350 XWB airframe work packages.

The A350 XWB Family is Airbus' response to widespread market demand for a series of highly efficient medium-capacity, long-range, wide-body aircrafts, with a range of up to 8,300 nm/15,400 km. The A350 XWB has the widest cabin in its category, offering unprecedented levels of comfort, the lowest operating costs and lowest seat mile cost of any aircraft in this market segment.

So far, there have been 583 orders for the A350 XWB from 36 customers. Air China is the first Chinese airline to order the aircraft having placed a firm order for 10 A350 XWBs in 2010. Development of the A350 XWB program is progressing on track towards entry into service in the second half of 2013. The final assembly of the A350 XWB will start at the end of this year at the new Final Assembly building in Toulouse, France.