The investment by the Chinese holding Zhenshi in the Bay of Cádiz, announced in late 2023, materialized in March 2024 with the signing of the purchase and lease agreement for Airbus facilities in Puerto Real. This strategic move has allowed Zhenshi to acquire the entire industrial complex in the Trocadero industrial park, while Airbus completes its relocation to the new factory in El Puerto de Santa María, within the Tecnobahía Industrial Park.
The relocation process of Airbus from Puerto Real to El Puerto de Santa María is in its final stages. Zhenshi's presence is increasingly noticeable, with its logos now visible on the facility's facade, replacing the Airbus emblem that crowned the complex for three decades. According to consulted sources, Airbus will complete its move before summer, transferring the last active line, the A330 stabilizer.
Despite the secrecy surrounding the Asian holding's management, UGT has confirmed that the factory employs nearly a hundred people, and an increase in both production and workforce is expected by the end of the year. Zhenshi's 45 million euro investment anticipates the creation of up to 400 jobs once the plant operates at full capacity, estimated for 2027, when Airbus will have fully vacated the last module.
The Asian investment in the Bay of Cádiz received public aid. In this context, the central government, through the Ministry of Finance, granted the multinational 8.7 million euros for the development of this project through regional incentives, out of a total eligible subsidy of 27.3 million, which will allow the creation of the 425 jobs they had committed to.
Zhenshi's establishment in Andalusia was supported by Andalucía Trade, the public business agency attached to the Ministry of Economy, Finance and European Funds. The Spanish subsidiary, Zhenshi Spain New Material SLU, was incorporated in September 2023. Zhenshi Holding Group, one of China's largest private and manufacturing companies with 50 years of history and a global presence, aims to make the Puerto Real plant a European benchmark in fiberglass manufacturing.
Currently, the Chinese company operates in sheds 3 and 5 vacated by Airbus and has expanded its operations to shed 2. These facilities, which once housed the manufacturing of the A380 superjumbo's tail rudder, are now key to Zhenshi's activity. Even Airbus's former hangar at La Cabezuela dock is used by the Chinese company's management as a warehouse for structures and components arriving by sea.
