GOVERNOR OF KANSAS LEADS NEW DRIVE FOR EUROPEAN TRADE & INVESTMENT AT PARIS AIR SHOW 2001

Added: (Fri Jun 08 2001)

Pressbox (Press Release) - The State of Kansas will launch its European Business Attraction Programme for the new millennium during the 2001 Paris Air Show in the US pavilion on 15 – 22 June 2001 – (Stand E15A – Hall 3).

Governor Bill Graves will lead the largest ever trade and investment delegation from Kansas to attend the Paris Airshow including executives from the Department of Commerce and Housing. They will be joined on the Kansas stand by representatives of the State of Kansas Europe Office. Present on the same stand will be Kansas exhibitor companies including ICE Corporation, Heartland Fasteners and Anderson Fine Scale Replicas.

Major Kansas Aerospace companies exhibiting in their own right at Paris include Boeing and leading business jet manufacturers Bombardier-Learjet, Cessna and Raytheon.

The Kansas team will have a full schedule of pre-arranged meetings with European company executives interested in doing business with Kansas. There is an attractive Kansas incentive programme designed to assist European companies with ambitions to be suppliers to the US aerospace market. The incentives are tailored to meet different company needs and include financial loans, tax credits, recruitment advice, workforce training grants and high performance incentives together with personal assistance to establish operations in suitable premises.

On Monday 19 June at the Airshow, Governor Graves will sign a Memorandum of Understanding between Kansas and the Chambre de Commerce et de l’Industrie de Paris to advance trade and investment activities between Kansas and Paris.

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Photos available on request.

For further information contact Marina Rega: tel:+ 44 (0)1372 363 386, fax:+ 44 (0)1372 363 359, email: marina@prowse.co.uk

Issued by Prowse & Company Ltd on behalf of the State of Kansas

Editors Note: Kansas background information

FACT FILE: AEROSPACE IN THE STATE OF KANSAS
World class aerospace companies
Based in the city of Wichita - Cessna, Raytheon and Bombardier Learjet manufacture and assemble aircraft and aviation products. Together these three Kansas-based general aviation manufacturers delivered more than 66 percent of all US general aviation aircraft shipped in 2000 delivering 1865 aircraft and generating sales of over $5 billion during the same period. With the additional 15,000 Boeing employees in Wichita the total number of people employed in aerospace in Kansas totals over 43,000.

A location for growth and market access
Kansas has one of the fastest growing economies in the US. Nearly 40 percent of the US population and well over a million service and manufacturing firms are located within 500 miles of Kansas. Located at the geographic centre of the United States, bordered by Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and Colorado it offers key road, rail and airlinks to all markets in the USA, Mexico and Canada with Kansas City International airport offering direct daily flights to over 80 U.S.cities . Easy access to every direction is provided from east to west via Interstate Highway 70 and from north to south via Interstate 35.

A centre of excellence for aerospace research
Wichita State University is home to the US National Institute for Aviation Research. NIAR is a major research site with extensive facilities, qualified staff and equipment including crash test laboratories as well as wind and water tunnels for aerodynamic testing. NIAR offers companies an affordable source or expert help in a secure environment for the testing and development of aviation and non-aviation products for US markets.

Aerospace companies on the Kansas stand
The following companies will be sharing the Kansas Stand in the US Pavilion:
ICE Corporation: specialist in the design and manufacture of aircraft electronic controllers
Heartland Precision Fasteners: manufacturer of high-strength, tight tolerance aerospace and industrial metal fasteners
Andersen Fine Scale Replicas: manufacturer of custom-made hand-crafted aircraft display models
Salina Chamber of Commerce: representative of 200 companies located in central Kansas

For further information on business opportunities for European companies in Kansas, contact David Bowden-Smith or Peter Prowse at the State of Kansas European Marketing Representation Office, Prowse & Company Ltd, The Coach House, 24 Bridge Street, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 8BZ, UK. Telephone: UK 01372 363386 International + 44 1372 363386

8 June 2001