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Airbus Americas Chairman Allan McArtor on the company’s plans to build a factory in Alabama and the factors that lead to the decision.
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Now on the phone Airbus America's chairman Alan garner on while Obama and -- right now mr.
regarded good to have you.
You know -- Alabama why Alabama.
Well as the -- -- we've we've got a great relationship with with Alabama and the and the people -- mobile but but technically Berkeley.
Field has.
-- runway it's got.
Big area Greenfield area.
And an education deep water port so it did -- all the criteria that we needed for a final assembly facility.
All right -- because I could say is you know that there are other states -- unions say it's -- right to work states that have.
Available airfields.
Maybe it now is down when you get to available close by ports.
But the one added advantage might have been the right to work aspect of Alabama's that -- I don't think there's any question that that right to work states have an advantage on recruiting.
Out of country or other state.
Employers.
It is not it is not -- a definitive reason why we we chose Alabama.
But I I don't think there's a secret of the fact that it is an advantage.
Any factor -- all Boeing in the dust up would be at South Carolina moving those thousand jobs there as I mentioned with the governor.
They almost were taken away but did you look at Boeing's success in moving to a right to work state.
-- your -- long relationship with Alabama that this would probably be a good strategic move as -- Well this has been part of our strategy for long time and and quite frankly what Boeing does or doesn't do -- What was out of a factor in our decision -- women does that mean that -- Boeing had never done this you wouldn't have done -- a look.
And our mandate that we had done this anyway having us this and this is something that that we that we consider be part of our our global strategy.
We have an industrial presence in China over obviously in Europe and and we needed -- we wanted to be an industrial citizen and in the in the US we think.
Getting closer to our customers -- closer -- our supply chain is good for us.
And I think it's gonna work out just great.
Are you getting concerned that there's a lot of blah I don't wanna -- provincial -- -- armed.
But a lot of people are leery of European concerns is is anti European sentiment building in the United States fairly or not.
And that at least if you had.
Factory set up here much as Toyota dead -- and -- -- days pass.
That you were -- -- -- insulated from those attacks.
Well I'm I'm gonna disagree with young -- I mean -- -- have two years ago -- image clearly there was.
You know -- -- went -- -- that freedom prize is -- phase opera right.
I think there -- some anti European thinking but I don't believe that yeah.
-- parents I think about it Zeta decides it had nothing to do the -- here.
Well I loved Italy it was the country had a problem and we're gonna.
Well -- I think I think people understand now that that people and our -- it's -- global industry we have suppliers.
From all over the map we spent over twelve billion dollars in the US every year.
-- -- the largest export customer of US aerospace industry.
Almost half of what we put in an Airbus airplane comes from the US -- so and since we've we've been a full partner with.
With US aerospace for a long time and this is simply an extension of our strategy.
Mr.
Carter thank you congratulations as well.
Thank you -- what.
