When Cessna Aircraft Co. sought a low-wage country in 2006 where it could manufacture airplane parts, its first instinct was to go to China.
After struggling to find a way to ship supplies to the Asian country in less than a month, the Wichita, Kansas-based producer of light airplanes discovered a better solution just across the U.S. border: Mexico.
“Shipping to and from Mexico is easier and faster because it’s over land rather than by sea,” Cessna Chief Executive Officer Jack Pelton says. “It provides a way for Cessna to become more competitive as we deal with the challenge of the current economic situation.”

