US engineering group Curtiss-Wright will build its first aerospace surface treatment plant in Africa in Morocco, with operations expected to start by mid-2027. The new facility, planned for the Casablanca area, will help aircraft manufacturers and suppliers finish critical parts locally instead of sending them overseas for processing and then bringing them back for assembly. Curtiss-Wright did not reveal the size of the investment.
“Morocco has become a key growth location for premier aerospace manufacturers and their supply chain, and we are excited to provide critical surface treatment services to our valued customers,” said Ray Lopuc, Senior Vice President and Division Lead at Curtiss-Wright Surface Technologies.
“We expect the facility to be fully operational by mid-2027.”
Surface treatment is a key step in making aircraft parts. It protects metal components from corrosion, friction and wear, helping them last longer under extreme heat and stress. The work must meet strict international aerospace standards, including Nadcap certification.
The Casablanca plant will offer several specialised processes.
Controlled shot peening strengthens metal by firing tiny steel, ceramic or glass beads at high speed onto its surface. The process helps prevent cracks and extends the life of heavily stressed parts such as landing gear, turbine blades and wing structures.
The facility will also carry out anodising and chemical conversion coating, which improve corrosion resistance and help paint stick to aluminium and titanium parts.
Another service will be thermal spray and plasma coating, which adds protective metallic or ceramic layers to engine parts exposed to temperatures above 1,000C.
Nadcap certification requires strict control of chemical treatments, spray settings and non-destructive testing to ensure aerospace-quality production.
The investment comes as the country’s aerospace industry continues to expand. More than 150 aerospace companies operate in Morocco, including Boeing, Airbus, Safran and Spirit AeroSystems. The sector generates more than $2.9bn in annual exports and employs over 25,000 skilled workers.
Factories based mainly in Casablanca and Tangier produce aerostructures, fuselage sections, engine parts and electrical systems for global aircraft programmes. Local integration has reached 42%, meaning nearly half of aircraft components are now made inside the country.
The new plant is expected to shorten production times, cut transport costs and make the local supply chain more efficient by keeping another high-value manufacturing step inside Morocco.
The project also supports a wave of aerospace investment.
Safran is building a €280m landing gear factory near Casablanca airport that will create around 500 jobs. Landing gear components require extensive shot peening and specialised plating, making Curtiss-Wright’s services a natural fit for the project.
Safran and Royal Air Maroc have also expanded their joint venture to maintain and repair CFM LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B engines used on Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
Sabena Engineering is developing a military and civil aircraft maintenance centre at Benslimane Airport, while Airbus plans to open a regional helicopter support hub in Morocco for North and West Africa.
Boeing has also expanded its supplier network in the country. MATIS Aerospace, its joint venture with Safran in Nouaceur, produces more than 150,000 aircraft electrical wiring systems every year for Boeing and Airbus aircraft.
Industry data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, GIMAS and AMDIE shows the aerospace sector now has more than 155 suppliers and manufacturers, employs over 26,000 people and offers production costs of about €25 an hour, compared with €100-120 an hour in Western Europe and the United States.
The government wants to raise local integration above 50% by 2030 and eventually develop a commercial aircraft final assembly line in Morocco.
