Collins Aerospace Systems has just laid the first stone for the expansion of its site in Casablanca, Morocco — expected to be completed by spring 2020. An extension increasing the size of the site by 40% and creating 60 new jobs. Objective: to support the production of rudder controls for the Airbus A320neo and Horizontal Stabilizer Trim Actuators for the Boeing 777X. Established in 2012, the Casablanca plant already employs around 140 people and conducts final assembly and testing for commercial aircraft cockpit and cabin equipment, including sidesticks, throttles and rudder controls. The expansion of the site will enable Collins Aerospace to face the ramp-up of the production of the Airbus A320neo family rudder for which Collins Aerospace was selected. “The expansion of the Casablanca site is also critical to the company’s strategy to grow its footprint in the Middle East and Africa”, comments the U.S. company. The introduction of this new program will therefore be accompanied by an increase in the number of employees at the Ratier-Figeac Morocco site, with the support of the Institute of Aeronautical Professions (IMA). The expansion will also eventually accommodate the Horizontal Stabilizer Trim Actuators (HSTA) assembly for Boeing 777X, said a spokesman for Collins Aerospace.