Georgia invests in foreign manufacturing market

Georgia’s state-owned Tbilisi-based Aircraft Manufacturing company TbilAviaMsheni (TAM) jointly with Ukrainian flight simulator producer, Market-Mats, are planning to invest in the Hereford enterprise zone in the west of England, the UK government says.

According to the UK Department for Business Innovation and Skills, the US-based business development consultancy firm Get It Group LLC, working with TAM and Market-Mats, have signed an exclusive agreement to locate their advanced manufacturing campuses in the Hereford Enterprise Zone, the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) said last week

Hereford enterprise zone is one of 24 new zones created by the UK's Conservative-led coalition government to encourage new investment and jobs by providing potential investors financial incentives, reduced planning restrictions and other benefits.

TbilAviaMsheni is a military and civil aircraft developing plant that also produces non-aviation industrial products. Over the recent years, TAM provides the overhaul, maintenance and upgrading of SU-25, MIG-21 type aircraft, MI type helicopters and also manufactures small-sized luxury business jets.

The company was privatized about seven-years ago; it was retaken by the state in 2010 as part of the Georgian government’s priority to develop a domestic military industrial complex. TbilAviaMsheni is now part of the military research-technical center Delta, led by the Ministry of Defense (MoD). The Delta Research Center developed the first Georgian-produced infantry fighting (armored) vehicle (IFV) “Lazika”, two types of Didgori light-wheeled armored patrol vehicles, a rocket launching vehicle at the Vaziani and a catapult-launched unmanned surveillance aircraft (drone).

The details of TAM’s planned UK project remain unclear, as neither the Georgian Defense Ministry nor TbilAviaMsheni has clarified anything about the investment details.

UK’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) assumes that joint investments by TAM and Market-Mats who have planned two new enterprise campuses in Hereford, would create “over 1,000 new jobs.”

“Each of the two advanced manufacturing campuses is expected to create at least 500 high-tech manufacturing jobs and once established, the sites are predicted to increase local spending power by around ?20 million per annum. Furthermore, each campus will have its own apprenticeship training school and at least 10% of the employees will come through the schools at any one time, providing much needed employment for the young people in the region,” BIS said on August 10