JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #61 - November/December 2010 - 14

International scope 14

anada’s aerospace production generates US$12.4 billion in sales (2009). Quebec handles more than 60% of that production, most of which is concentrated in and around Montreal.

BUSINESS

Aerospace composites in Quebec:
a wealth of players and R&D
Market survey
Greater Montreal Composites Conclusion

Located not far from New York, the Greater Montreal metropolitan area is one of the world’s three major aerospace hubs, along with Seattle and Toulouse. Practically all of Quebec’s aerospace industry is based there, along with most of Canada’s aerospace R&D. Composite materials have become an absolute must in the industry, and the region and its manufacturers are investing in them more and more.
strategy and on specialized institutional players like the Quebec aerospace association AQA, which is the largest Canadian association to represent and uphold Quebec’s smaller businesses and the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Quebec (CRIAQ). One example of the strategy is a range of tax measures that allow large businesses and foreign manufacturers to reduce their R&D costs by 40% or more. Other aid mechanisms encourage companies to pool their research activities within consortiums. There is also a five-year degressive provincial tax exemption for foreign research scientists, managers and specialists who come to work in Quebec. and R&D facilities, Montreal is able to cover the full aeronautical spectrum. The Greater Montreal metropolitan area is one of the rare places in the world where you can find nearly all aircraft components within a 30-km radius. The region also has a highly reputed network of universities and technical schools.

The presence of world-class specifiers, technical centres and equipment manufacturers is a sign of the prestige enjoyed by Quebec’s aerospace industry. All together, they provide jobs for 80% of the industry’s workers and generate 90% of its sales. Several large manufacturers are based in the area, including Bombardier Aerospace, Bell Helicopter Textron Canada, CAE, Pratt & Whitney Canada. A number of major equipment manufacturers are also established there, such as GE Canada, Aveos and Rolls-Royce Canada, HérouxDevtek, Lockheed Martin, Rheinmetall Canada, MDA Space, Esterline CMC Electronics, Messier-Dowty, Turbomeca and Thales Avionique. The region is also home to a large number of international organizations, including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), the global headquarters of the Cospas-Sarsat Programme (international satellite-based search and rescue system) and the Canadian space agency (CSA). Another significant fact is that 80% of Quebec’s aerospace production is exported. The region relies on a dynamic investment

jec composites magazine / No61 November - December 2010

With 98% of Quebec’s aerospace business based in the Greater Montreal area, the region joins Seattle and Toulouse as one of the world’s three largest aerospace hubs. One out of every 190 Quebeckers works in the aerospace industry; one out of every 95 Greater Montreal inhabitants has an aerospace-related job. 234 aerospace companies are based in Greater Montreal, employing 40,200 people, which is more than 50% of the Canadian aerospace sector’s total workforce. Seventy percent of Canada’s aerospace R&D is carried out there. The region’s companies have formed the Aéro Montréal industrial cluster in Greater Montreal to exchange, work together and optimize the industry competitiveness. With its world-class Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO)

We decided to map out the locations where composite parts are designed, manufactured, assembled or tested, as exhaustively as possible (see Figure 1). Even if the region has not exactly been a pioneer in composites, it is now clearly putting its efforts into becoming a major player in that sector. Its universities and research centres have an excellent international reputation. Companies there like Bombardier and Bell Helicopter are acting as catalysts. As contractors continue to cut down on subcontractors, the sector’s smaller businesses will probably need to reach a critical size before they are allowed to “play with the big boys”. But this is also the case elsewhere (see interview on page 16).

The local composite industry should benefit from the region’s dynamism and heavy focus on R&D in the aerospace sector. More information: www.aeromontreal.ca www.aqa.ca www.criaq.aero www.mdeie.gouv.qc.ca/aerospatiale

http://www.aeromontreal.ca http://www.aqa.ca http://www.criaq.aero http://www.mdeie.gouv.qc.ca/aerospatiale

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #61 - November/December 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #61 - November/December 2010