As the third largest manufacturer in the world, behind only Airbus and Boeing, Embraer in the near past it expanded its production lines to other countries, more specifically executive jets.
Embraer's business in China began in mid-2003, when the Brazilian manufacturer started a partnership with Avic, creating the t venture Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry (HEAI), being responsible for producing the ERJ-145 and Legacy 650 (also based on the ERJ-145).
During the 13 years present in China, Embraer produced around 40 aircraft, a market that has always attracted the eyes of other manufacturers due to the great potential for sales and business expansion.
As a result of closer ties between the governments of Brazil and China, there was speculation at the time about China's interest in using reverse engineering so that the country could manufacture its own jets.
“The presence of a Chinese assembly line represents Embraer's long-term commitment to China's aviation industry,” said Embraer's then-CEO. Embraer at the time, Maurício Botelho.
True or not about the interest in working with reverse engineering with aircraft from the Brazilian manufacturer, China has always shown interest in producing its own aircraft, and it was precisely during the 2000s that the Chinese put into practice the plan to develop their own aircraft, highlighting the Comac ARJ21 and the C919.
What reasons led Embraer to end its production in China?
Although the implementation of an assembly line was seen as something positive, Embraer found barriers to continuing its production line in China, mainly due to import taxes from the Asian country.
With Embraer having to pay a 20% import tax on components brought into China, producing an aircraft on Chinese soil has ironically become more expensive than producing the same plane in Brazil.
In addition, demand for jets from the ERJ-145 family did not take off in China, leaving Embraer to work around the situation with the start of production of the Legacy 650 from 2011, however, once again, sales did not leverage, leaving the Brazilian manufacturer suggest the production of other aircraft.
With the proposal to produce the E190 on Chinese soil, such a suggestion did not please the Chinese, as the arrival of regional production of the Brazilian jet would clash with Comac's plans for sales of the ARJ21, as it had a direct competitor producing aircraft in its backyard.
With low production and no expectations of expansion, Embraer ended activities in China in 2017.
“Embraer remains fully committed and will continue to serve the Chinese commercial and executive aircraft markets. The Company will continue to provide to customers in China”, communicated Embraer at the time.
China was not the only foreign country that Embraer landed to produce aircraft
In addition to China, Embraer has an executive jet assembly line in Melbourne, Florida, in the United States, with production of the Praetor and Phenom.
In Portugal, Embraer has a subsidiary Oficinas Gerais de Material Aeronáutico (OGMA) located in the city of Alverca. OGMA provides maintenance services for civil and military aircraft, with emphasis on the production of some components for the C-390 Millenium and other Embraer aircraft.
What has changed since then with Embraer leaving China?
Since Embraer left China, the Chinese have started to invest more and more in the production of their own aircraft, mainly in order to be less dependent on Western technologies.
The C919 program, started in mid-2008, aims to make China one of the main aerospace players, moving from a country that only manufactures technology and products from other countries to a technological player.
With that, China has the ambitious task of entering the fight in the single-aisle market between Boeing and Airbus with the C919. The Comac C919 will initially be marketed only to operators in China, and the country has advanced in the aircraft's type certification (STC) processes.
For the regional market, China has the serial production of the ARJ21, a plane with a design similar to the MD-80, but with more modern engines equipped with Rockwell Collins avionics. The regional aircraft can carry up to 95 engers and, powered by CF-34 engines, the same used in aircraft such as the Bombardier CRJ and the Embraer E-Jet E1.
As for Embraer, despite still seeing the Chinese market as having enormous potential in the regional market, the manufacturer not only almost merged its commercial aircraft division with Boeing, but started to focus on the development of turboprop aircraft for carbon operations. zero and with hybrid energy.
With this, the Brazilian manufacturer is focused on expanding its role in regional aviation, as well as announcing its new concept of zero carbon aircraft, including the goal of implementing the compatibility of the use of sustainable fuels in all its aircraft by 2030.
To find out more about the new Embraer concept and the details of the new aircraft, just click here.
Finally, China has great potential to become a major player in the aerospace industry. The Asian country in recent decades has been preparing its ground for this and since the 2000s it has been acquiring companies in the sector to improve its own aircraft development, with emphasis on the acquisition of the North American manufacturer Cirrus Aircraft in 2011, AIM Altitute, Thompson Aero Seating and the FACC.
