As part of the Tres Pilares de Chile Nuevo program ("Three Pillars of New Chile"), Minister of Industry Gabriel Sotomayor today announced the opening of three important new industries that will contribute to the modernization of the Chilean economy. In particular, these three industries all contribute towards the Second Pillar of Chairman Grove's plan, Mechanization.

Empresa Nacional del Automóvil (Consolidado)

One of the most important steps towards Pillar Two is the opening of the ENAC factory in Pudahuel, Santiago. ENAC, the new nationalized company responsible for production of automobiles, trucks, tractors and related equipment, plans to begin production of copies of the Ford Model AA truck under the name of ENAC CN (Camión Nacional; National Truck). These trucks will be greatly useful for transportation in the mining regions of Chile, and will also provide valuable experience for the fledgling Chilean automotive and manufacturing industry.

The tooling for these trucks was provided by the Ford of Argentina factory in Buenos Aires, as well as associated documentation, which was brought back to Chile following the Chilean withdrawal of troops at the end of the Argentine war. Tooling and documentation was also captured for the Ford Model A automobile. ENAC plans to open another plant in Valparaiso for the production of this vehicle, named the ENAC AN (Automóvil Nacional) next year.

Sotomayor expressed confidence in the new ENAC plant. He expressed hope that ENAC would be able to achieve enough production to export Chilean trucks to other nations around the world, to allow them to achieve the same mechanization as Chile.

Asociación Chilena de Aviación

Another achievement was reached by Chilean industry through the announcement of the construction of the first Asociación Chilena de Aviación (ACdA) factory in Concepcion. This factory, built using equipment and plans acquired from the Fábrica Militar de Aviones plant in Cordoba during the war, is the first of its kind in Chile.

Minister Sotomayor noted in a press statement that Chile, a geographically dispersed country, is uniquely suited for the use of aviation. In particular, access in the very far north of the country is severely limited by the Atacama Desert, requiring either an arduous ship journey or a treacherous journey through the desert if planes are not used. Further, the minister noted the military applications of the aircraft, as demonstrated in recent battles on the seas and by the destruction of Chicago, in the United States.

ACdA plans to produce an Argentinian design, the AeMOe.1, a combination training and observation aircraft, in some number before producing more complex designs. The small Chilean air force welcomed this news wholeheartedly, noting the difficulty of acquiring military aircraft in the present political climate. LAN-Chile also strongly welcomed the possibility of domestically produced airliners for expanding its service.

Astilleros Nacionales de Chile

Chile's Navy and merchant marine also received good news this month following Minister Sotomayor's surprise announcement of the expansion of the Chilean shipyard collective, the Astilleros Nacional de Chile (ANC). In particular, it was announced that the Duprat and Las Habas shipyards in Valparaiso would receive several military grants for expansion of dry docking facilities, with the goal of being able to repair the Navy's most advanced units, its submarines. It is believed, but not confirmed, that expansion plans were handed down after being taken from the ASTARSA shipyard in Buenos Aires. Heavy cranes of an unknown origin are also planned to be installed in the Las Habas shipyard.

In addition, the port of Valdivia and its numerous shipyards received government funding for the expansion of maintenance facilities for the merchant marine and Chilean shipping line, CSAV, in preparations for a planned expansion of that line. It is known that two passenger liners were recently acquired by CSAV after the Argentine War.

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Overall, the founding of these three new organizations shows that the Chilean government and her workers stand ready to take Chile's place amongst the developed countries of the world.