Rockwell Sees Growth Opportunities in China

SEAL BEACH —  Rockwell International Corp. is negotiating with companies in China to expand its semiconductors and avionics sales, and may build a wafer-chip fabrication plant there, said Donald R. Beall, its chairman and chief executive. Rockwell’s annual sales of computer chips, sophisticated electronics for aircraft and automotive products in China total about $100 million, a small fraction of its $10 billion-plus annual revenue. As China’s manufacturing capabilities improve, however, Rockwell’s sales could reach $1 billion to $1.5 billion a year within the next five or six years, Beall said. Avionics will be one focus of the company’s future plans in China. The company is now in talks with Aviation Industries of China and other aerospace authorities to participate in a planned 100-seat aircraft project.