NRC COVID-19 response

On the same subject

• 

  March 8, 2022

  Mitacs | Inspiring Innovation

  Mitacs builds partnerships between academia, industry, and the world – to create a more innovative Canada. Find research funding, training opportunities, and top research talent.

• 

  January 6, 2020

  What AIAC’s Vision 2025 could mean for smaller sized enterprises

  by Chris Thatcher; Skies Magazine Posted on December 24, 2019 When the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada in June released its blueprint for the next five years, Vision 2025: Charting a New Course, support for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) was one of its core themes. Small companies make up over 90 per cent of the sector and the report argued for greater government support to help them scale up, generate more jobs, and enhance their global competitiveness. That could include new funding to pursue digital business transformation, a reduction in the complexity of government contracting, and greater priority in the value propositions of prime contractors chasing defence procurements. “If our small- and mid-sized companies are left at risk, the negative impacts will be felt across Canada's aerospace industry as a whole,” according to the report, prepared by Jean Charest, a former premier of Quebec and deputy prime minister of Canada. Small companies are viewed as the prime creators of aerospace jobs and, in a sector buffeted by changing technology and new players, many may be more agile and better able to adapt than larger counterparts that must answer to corporate headquarters outside of Canada. But support from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and governments is essential to their survival, according to a panel of SMEs at the Canadian Aerospace Summit in November. There is no one-size-fits-all to helping SMEs scale up. Companies at different stages of growth require different types of support, they noted. But help with skilled labour shortages and easier access to government programs are common challenges for all. A solid position on a major platform is critical to initial success, but long-term growth requires diversification, observed Barney Bangs, chief executive officer of Tulmar Safety Systems. Located between Ottawa and Montreal in the small community of Hawkesbury, Ont., the company manufactures protective and safety equipment, associated components and in-flight training products. Traditionally, its focus has been 80 per cent defence — Tulmar has been a supplier to a military platform for over 25 years and benefitted from a strong aftermarket. In recent years, though, the company has sought a better balance between military and commercial customers. “As of last year, we were 65 per cent defence and 35 per cent (civilian) aerospace,” he said. Tulmar has also become more of what he called “a solution provider,” integrating components from other suppliers to provide an OEM with a final, certified piece of equipment such as an aircraft seat rather than just the safety harness or seatbelt. “We are doing more in-house and saving customer-costs for the OEM,” said Bangs. Diversification has also been a priority for Apex Industries, a machining, components, subassembly and structures manufacturer in Moncton, N.B. Twelve years ago, its aerospace business was five per cent defence and 95 per cent civil, much of it geared to Bell Helicopter and Bombardier. “We made a conscious effort to diversify into the military side a lot more,” said vice-president Keith Donaldson. “We are very conscious of not allowing our sales to go too high on one platform or with one customer.” Challenged by cost-savings pressures in commercial aviation contracts, military platforms offer a company like APEX “good visibility,” he said. However, militaries have long been trading quantity for technological superiority, meaning fewer platforms and a relatively short production cycle. And ramping up quickly with people and equipment to meet tight delivery schedules is a challenge for small businesses that need other options to justify and sustain the investment when the contract ends. “It is very tough for a SME like ourselves to invest.” However, defence procurement and government programs can go a long way to supporting the scale-up of SMEs, said Patrick Mann, president of Patlon Aircraft & Industries, a technical sales force for global manufacturers of custom components and systems. The scale-up program must be run by single entity within government committed to the Canadian SME community that would be “funded, independent and have the authority to make decisions.” Mann suggested coping what has worked well in other jurisdictions, noting the success of the United States Small Business Administration's set-aside program. “Within that, there is a small business innovation research program which has been highly successful in scaling up SMEs,” he said. The Vision 2025 report called for a federal scale-up program to “provide advice, coaching, networking, value proposition development and consortium-building support to incentivize growth and build capacity–helping firms expand their global footprints and giving them the means and maturity to support OEMs effectively.” The report recommended the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME) within Public Services and Procurement Canada shoulder that responsibility. “Having OSME at the table as a contributor to the development of government procurement strategies and as a champion of small and medium-sized business interests will help ensure government policies and programs recognize the unique characteristics of small firms,” it stated. “We are a pretty good example of a scale-up of an SME using competitive bid government procurement as a mechanism,” said Mann. However, developments over the past 10 years such as single point of accountability and bundling, where multiple small contracts are combined in one larger procurement that is awarded to one contractor, have been “devasting” to smaller suppliers. “It has been a real issue for us. Again, it is an issue where (OSME) can play a role.” OEMs can bolster government programs by mentoring small companies within their supplier base on management and production processes, especially around digitization, added Donaldson. “OEMs have a lot of that knowledge ... [but] I don't think [they] do enough of that.” He and Bangs both cautioned that the ability to scale up will be contingent on resolving talent shortages. Developing and attracting skilled labour is a chronic problem affecting the entire sector, but it is particularly acute for SMEs in more remote locations that don't have the resources to recruit as widely or navigate the immigration system. “Before we launch a scale-up program with support for financing and working capital, we have to make sure we have our skills done first,” said Donaldson. However the Liberal government opts to respond to the Vision 2025 report, the value of investing in SMEs should be clear. Viking Air, KF Aerospace or IMP Aerospace & Defence were once small companies and are “now thriving global participants,” said Mann. “That is the reason why todays SMEs are an important part of our industry.”

• 

  June 16, 2021

  StartAéro 360 | Les brèves de l'actualité 14 juin

  Commandes, livraisons et cadence de production Airbus Airbus a livré 50 avions en mai et 220 depuis le début de l'année. et a reçu 94 commandes et subit 125 annulations cette année. Airbus a enregistré en mai sept commandes d'avions commerciaux (5 A350-900 Lufthansa ; 2 A320neo Volaris). Le carnet de commandes d'Airbus s'établit 6 933 appareils. Boeing Boeing a enregistré en mai 73 commandes brutes et 53 annulations. Boeing a vendu 5 B787-9 à Lufthansa, un 777F à Lufthansa Cargo, ainsi que 61 B737 pour plusieurs compagnies dont Southwest Airlines et Alaska Airlines. 48 737 MAX ont été annulés. Boeing a livré 17 appareils dont 10 B737 MAX. Son carnet de commandes s'établit à 4 121 appareils, dont 3 291 B737. Boeing B787 (3 juin) Boeing plans to return to pre-pandemic production rates for the 787 Dreamliner. CEO Dave Calhoun stated that he anticipates an incremental increase from five back up to 14 per month, but did not specify a timeline. Industrie Aérospatiale CMC (8 juin) Transport Canada has granted technical standard order (TSO) approval for the CMC Electronics MFD-4068 Smart Multifunction Display (SMFD). The MFD-4068's centre-mounted unit can drive adjacent displays and a head-up display. It features an open architecture platform that allows customers to develop their own applications. Deutsche Aircraft D328eco (8 juin) Deutsche Aircraft's modernisation of the Dornier 328 turboprop, the D328eco, includes a Garmin integrated avionics suite that makes use of touchscreens. The company claims that this “Companion” flightdeck will support future single-pilot operations with features such as flight-envelope protection, an automatic emergency descent mode, and runway alerting. Collins Aerospace (7 juin) Collins Aerospace a été sélectionné par Airbus pour fournir les PSU (Passenger Service Units, unités de service passagers) des cabines Airspace de la famille A320. Les nouvelles unités, fabriquées en matériaux composites, permettent une installation et un retrait rapides. CS Group (7 juin) En 2020, CS Group a réalisé 209 millions d'euros de chiffre d'affaires et a un objectif de 400 millions en 2024 à 50% par croissance externe. Dans les secteurs de la défense et de la sécurité (40% de son activité), CS Group compte se développer dans les systèmes de liaisons de données tactiques dans les systèmes de simulation et de surveillance de zones (lutte anti-drones et surveillance maritime). Le groupe ambitionne de réaliser des acquisitions en Europe et veut jouer un rôle important pour traiter les données spatiales. US investments in Chinese companies (4 juin) The US president has issued an executive order that bars US securities investment in 57 Chinese companies with defence tie to “ensure that US investments are not supporting Chinese companies that undermine the security or values of the United States and our allies.” The list includes tech firms and major aerospace players including the Aero Engine Corporation of China, several AVIC units, and space companies. Boeing new product development (3 juin) According to Morgan Stanley Research, suppliers confirm that Boeing's most recent design studies are for an aircraft combining aspects of the previous New Midsize Airplane (NMA) and the Future Small Airplane (FSA). This would be a large single-aisle design similar in size and dimensions to the 757-300, with a range of up to 5,000 nm and significantly improved operating economics. The current focus is on a composite wing and aluminum fuselage. MRO Airbus Helicopters (9 juin) Airbus Helicopters annonce l'acquisition de ZF Luftfahrttechnik GmbH afin de renforcer ses capacités de maintenance, de réparation et de révision (MRO). ZF Luftfahrttechnik est un partenaire de service MRO pour la majorité de la flotte d'hélicoptères de la Bundeswehr allemande. L'entreprise est fournisseur de la boîte de vitesses principale du H135, de la boîte de vitesses de queue de l'hélicoptère Tigre, et détient une part du programme H145. Drones- Advanced Air Mobility Vertical Aerospace (10 juin) Vertical Aerospace has agreements with American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and aircraft lessor Avolon for future deliveries of electric air taxis. American Airlines is investing $25 million in the company, Avolon intends to become an equity investor as well while Virgin Atlantic plans to purchase up to 150 eVTOL aircraft. Electra Aero (10 juin) Electra Aero a dévoilé son concept d'avion électrique étudié pour desservir les marchés régionaux. L'avion est conçu pour transporter jusqu'à 7 passagers et un pilote avec une autonomie de 800 km. L'avion disposera de 8 moteurs électriques alimentés par des batteries et un turbogénérateur silencieux. La certification est prévue en 2026. Honeywell (10 juin) L'équipementier américain Honeywell, déjà présent dans les programmes de taxi volant de Volocopter et de cargo autonome de Pipistrel, va développer les commandes de vol électriques et l'avionique du futur eVTOL de l'allemand Lilium. Helisul Aviation (7 juin) Brazilian helicopter operator Helisul Aviation ordered up to 50 of the four-passenger eVTOLs being developed by Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions. The first of the new aircraft are due to be delivered in 2026. Prior to this, Helisul and Eve plan to start proof-of-concept air taxi operations in Brazil using Helisul's existing fleet of Airbus and Bell helicopters. Joby Aviation (6 juin) Joby Aviation has partnered with REEF Technology (REEF) and Neighborhood Property Group (NPG) to develop takeoff and landing sites for its aerial ridesharing service, scheduled for launch in 2024. REEF is the country's largest parking garage operator focused on transforming these underutilized assets into multi-use mobility hubs. NPG is a real estate acquisition company. Spatial Kepler (9 juin) Canadian startup Kepler plans to build a U.S. presence after raising $60 million for its 15-satellite Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation. It plans to have 150 employees by the end of 2021. Tribe Capital, a major investor in 3D-printed rocket specialist Relativity Space, led Kepler's Series B funding round. Venture capital firm Canaan Partners, and existing investors including IA Ventures and Costanoa Ventures, also participated. Relativity Space (8 juin) Relativity Space has unveiled its fully reusable, 3D-printed Terran R rocket. It will be 216 feet tall by 16 feet wide, with the ability to lift more than 44,100 lbs. (20,000 kg) to LEO. Terran R's payload capacity is close to that of SpaceX's Falcon 9, a pioneer in launcher reuse. Innovation Daher/Safran/Airbus (11 juin) The EcoPulse distributed propulsion hybrid aircraft demonstrator, developed by Daher, Safran, and Airbus with the support of France's Civil Aviation Research Council (CORAC) and Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC).has completed wind tunnel testing at the Airbus UK Filton facility. Airbus /Safran /Dassault (10 juin) En partenariat avec Safran, Dassault, la direction générale de l'aviation civile (DGAC) et le centre français de recherche aérospatiale (Onera), Airbus va faire voler d'ici à la fin de l'année un A320 utilisant 100% de carburant alternatif. En remplaçant la totalité du kérosène par un carburant alternatif durable conçu à partir de la biomasse. Ces carburants existent aujourd'hui mais la réglementation impose qu'ils soient mélangés à hauteur de 50% avec du kérosène. Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) (8 juin) Le CNES et l'incubateur toulousain Nubbo ont signé un partenariat afin de lancer « TechTheMoon », le premier incubateur au monde dédié à l'économie lunaire. Le CNES et Nubbo sont à la recherche de pépites susceptibles de contribuer à des solutions pour développer des ressources lunaires, et pour garantir le support de la vie des hommes et des femmes travaillant dans une base lunaire. Thales Alenia Space (8 juin) Thales Alenia Space implantera son usine de production de dirigeables stratosphériques à Istres. Le Stratobus sera positionné à une altitude de 20 km pour maintenir sa position stationnaire. L'appareil couvrira avec précision une zone d'observation de 500 km de diamètre et sera capable d'embarquer jusqu'à 450 kg de capteurs, radars et relais télécoms. Flying Whales (7 juin) Flying Whales a choisi d'implanter sa première usine à Bordeaux au coût de 100-130 millions d'euros. Le capital de l'entreprise pourrait évoluer prochainement, avec une reprise par des actionnaires français de la part de l'avionneur chinois Avic (25%) dans le holding FL WH Holdco,propriétaire de Flying Whales. Les autres actionnaires sont le gouvernement du Québec (25%), la Région Nouvelle Aquitaine (30%), Air Liquide, Bouygues, ADP et l'ONF.