Possibilities of Mexican SMEs insertion in the aerospace industry value chain, the Baja California case

Abstract

The goal of this article is to analyze the aerospace industry in Baja California, Mexico. The methodology is based on the application of an electronic questionnaire and face-to-face in depth interviews. Our results shows that the insertion of companies has been conditioned by several factors: the basic certification is only the first step; the real challenge is to find niches of opportunity and bargaining power to achieve a productive contract, which demands entrepreneurial, legal and economic skills. This analysis is a pioneer in the study of Mexican companies participating in this emerging sector. The main limitations were the access to the companies’ information and the rejection to participate in the study. The main finding is there are very few Mexican suppliers integrated to the global value aerospace chain but if the trend of growth is maintained, it may had greater integration in the near future, and possibly a greater economic spill and technology transfer.