Bombardier to Open €60 million Rail Plant in Morocco by 2020

multinational aerospace and transportation company Bombardier said it will set up a rail factory in Morocco worth €60 million with a potential to employ 2000 people by 2020.

The announcement was made by head of Bombardier activities in Morocco Taoufiq Boussaid, who was speaking at the Rail Industry Summit in Casablanca.

He said that Bombardier is looking forward to tripling its investments in Morocco with the launch of a new production unit in Kenitra in 2020.

The new plant will span over a surface area of 145,000 square meters and is expected to employ 2000 people, he said, adding that works will be launched by the end of 2018 to achieve the €60 million project.

This investment also provides for technology transfer, said Sebastien Ridremont, director of Bombardier Morocco ecosystems. He said that the new plant will be set up in Kenitra free zone few meters from the railway and nearby the Port in order to facilitate supply and exports.

Through this new plant, Bombardier aims to export 60% of its output to Africa and Europe from its Moroccan ecosystem platform.

“We are basically targeting markets in west Africa where Morocco has forged strong ties,” said Boussaid.

Urban growth and the expansion of rail market, notably in terms of tramways and regional trains, is offering opportunities for Bombardier Morocco to boost exports, he added.

Bombardier Transport Morocco has been based in Casablanca since 2011, the date when the company won a contract to renew 14 electric trains of the national rail company (ONCF) linking Rabat to Casablanca.

Besides rail industry, Bombardier began in 2013 operating an aeronautic plant located in the Nouaceur free zone near Casablanca’s airport employing 300 people.