Montréal, May 7, 2018 – Aéro Montréal, Québec’s aerospace cluster, announced positive results for the year 2017 during its Annual General Meeting. The event took place at the Maison des régions de Montréal as part of the Journée des élus-es du Grand Montréal, in the presence of Montréal Mayor Valérie Plante and 150 senior executives, industry representatives and partners of the cluster.

“Aéro Montréal has made considerable investments with all the players in the cluster so that our industry remains a leader internationally. We owe this positioning to the tremendous solidarity of the players in our ecosystem,” says Suzanne M. Benoît, President of Aéro Montréal. “During the year 2017, the Québec aerospace industry welcomed the arrival of a new OEM, Airbus, to its supply chain. The year was also marked by the significant and imminent transition to Industry 4.0 so that our companies remain competitive. Finally, all the companies faced challenges related to labour force availability. This prompted us to review our strategy and encourage the next generation of workers to choose careers in aerospace.”

LABOUR FORCE AVAILABILITY – AN ISSUE TO WATCH

According to the Comité sectorial pour la main-d’oeuvre en aérospatiale du Québec (CAMAQ), by 2027, 7,128 new positions will be created, and 21,175 positions will need to be filled (promotions, retirements, departures, etc.) for a total of 28,303 vacancies within 10 years. “The challenges related to the shortage of labour were underscored in 2017. Accordingly, we alerted the government to this problem and developed a proactive communications strategy with the general public. We also launched initiatives aimed at helping companies with recruitment,” says Mrs. Benoît.

In 2017, more than 250 Québec aerospace leaders and specialists were involved in our six working groups. Some of the main initiatives put in place include:

THE MACH FAB 4.0 INITIATIVE 

Launched in 2017, the MACH FAB 4.0 initiative will target a total of 50 aerospace SMEs over five years. This program is receiving financial support of about $9.5 million from the Québec government as part of the 2016-2026 Québec Aerospace Strategy. The private sector is contributing an equivalent amount, for a total of $19 million in private and public investments. The MACH FAB 4.0 initiative is an essential program for Québec SMEs to succeed in the digital transformation in aerospace, and to become more competitive in Québec, Canada and internationally.

SDQUÉBEC.CA 

The SDQuébec.ca portal is a web-based tool for listing the industrial capabilities of Québec companies in the areas of defence and security. It is a collaborative, informative and proactive business platform to support, increase and optimize the development of Québec defence and national security companies. This tool was developed in partnership with the STIQ and Québec International. It went online in 2017.

THE MACH INITIATIVE MACH – 710 improvement projects underway

To date, we have five active cohorts representing 59 suppliers and 31 local and international mentors. The objective of the MACH initiative is to optimize the performance of Québec’s aerospace supply chain in order to increase its international competitiveness. Additional funding for the program was announced in 2017.

3^rd EDITION OF INTERNATIONAL AEROSPACE WEEK – MONTRÉAL

This Week, held from April 16 to 20, 2017, featured the 4th edition of the Global Supply Chain Summit, which had a record attendance of 500 participants. Entitled “From Vision To Reality: Breaking Through the World of 4.0”, the Summit presented concrete examples of how 4.0 is being applied at different levels of the supply chain. Participants also learned how to measure their degree of “4.0 maturity” and success in implementing digital technologies within their organization.

-30-

About Aéro Montréal

Created in 2006, Aéro Montréal is a strategic think tank that groups all major decision makers in Québec’s aerospace sector, including companies, educational and research institutions, as well as associations and unions. Aéro Montréal’s mission is to engage Québec's aerospace cluster with a view to increasing its growth and expansion on the global scene. Its vision is to become the global aerospace reference. To this end, it champions the following values: excellence, commitment, collaboration, integrity, agility and audacity.

Gwenaël Brisé

Manager, Communications and Media Relations

Aéro Montréal

Off: 514 987-9395|cell: 438 497-3857

gwenael.brise@aeroMontréal.ca