Eurocopter to invest up to $550 mn in Mexico

"Our company is ready to continue investing. We see maximum potential investment of approximately $550 million," Bertling said during the inauguration of a plant in the central Mexican state of Queretaro.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto attended the ceremony Wednesday at the industrial facility in Colon, a city in Queretaro.

Eurocopter's total investment will depend on sales in Mexico over the next few years, Bertling said.

Initial investment at the plant in Queretaro totals $100 million, demonstrating "how serious we are about being here in Mexico," Bertling said.

Eurocopter, which has been in Mexico for 30 years, employs 250 people who provide support to a fleet of more than 450 helicopters operating in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America, the executive said.

The French-German-Spanish helicopter manufacturer was created in 1992 via a merger involving France's Aeropostiale-Matra and Germany's Daimler Chrysler Aerospace.