24 AERONAUTICS, SPACE AND DEFENCE talent from the industrial world,' explains Belloc. On the other hand, the company finds arguments that justify its success as one of Portugal's leading investments in the aeronaut- ics sector in its history. 'Working at Airbus Atlantic means contributing to developing one of Europe's greatest success stories of recent years.' The entire ecosystem of compa- nies somehow linked to the aero- space sector is also growing around Airbus. The company works directly or indirectly with the Portuguese net- work of suppliers in this area, such as Lauak and Nexteam. Parts suppliers often deliver to France. 'For general purchases, where Airbus Atlantic Portugal is autonomous, we try to work as much as possible with companies based in Portugal,' says Eric Belloc. 'Unfortunately, this doesn't ap- ply to all business areas, although the network is growing month on month, demonstrating the attractiveness of Portugal and the dynamism of the country's aerospace sector. Choosing Portugal to build the new factory was also related to the net- work of Portuguese suppliers and the quality associated with them. 'Por- tugal's competence in the industrial sector is widely recognised, and this was an essential factor,' concludes the managing director of Airbus Atlantic Portugal. There were also other factors, such as location. 'The proximity of the French facilities is an advantage since the proximity of the ports facilitates logistical operations – there is an agreement with Viana do Castelo – and the road infrastruc- ture.’ airbus.com
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