A Spanish aerospace company announced yesterday plans to open a new engineering facility just outside of Ann Arbor, in part because its proximity to the University.

The company, Grupo Aernnova, says it will invest about $10 million in a Pittsfield Township facility that could provide up to 600 jobs for recent graduates and experienced workers.

One of the reasons the company chose Michigan as its first United States location is because of the many universities in the state with renowned engineering programs, said Daryl Weinert, senior director of corporate and government relations for the University's College of Engineering.

Weinert said Aernnova first contacted him about a year ago and the company said it wanted to be near universities that could provide constant sources of talent and opportunities for research.

He said he is beginning to work with Aernnova to provide internships and part-time positions to engineering students. As the company grows, he said, there will be opportunities to collaborate on research.

The facility isn't completed yet, and Weinert said it won't be open for students for at least a year.

He said the company should appeal not only to aerospace engineers but also mechanical engineers who might be interested in working for the auto industry, because the company will be building planes and aeronautical parts.

Weinert said University students won't get any special consideration in competition for internships or jobs, but he thinks the proximity of the company to Ann Arbor will be an advantage to students.

Elizabeth Parkinson, a spokeswoman for Ann Arbor SPARK - a nonprofit organization that works to bring businesses to the Ann Arbor area - said SPARK is planning at first to help the company find interested graduates and experienced workers to fill positions, but then will leave it up to Weinert and the University's placement programs to work with the company. If Aernnova wants to increase its area presence, Ann Arbor SPARK will help it expand its facilities, Parkinson said.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced the move yesterday in Lansing. With her were University President Mary Sue Coleman, Ann Arbor SPARK CEO Mike Finney, CEO of Michigan Economic Development Corporation James Epolito, and Aernnova CEO Inaki Lopez Gandasegui.

The announcement is a boost to the struggling Michigan economy, especially after Pfizer's decision this winter to shut down its 2,100-person facility near North Campus.

In a statement released yesterday, Coleman said she's looking forward to working with the company to collaborate on jobs and internships.

"In working with Ann Arbor SPARK and the MEDC (Michigan Economic Development Corporation), we immediately recognized the benefit of this international firm to our region," she said. "We also knew we had much to offer Aernnova, from collaborations with our highly ranked College of Engineering to qualified graduates from throughout our university."

- The Associated Press contributed to this report.