June 2, 2022 | Local, Aerospace
Un contrat de 800 M$ pour prolonger la vie des hélicoptères militaires CH-146
L’entreprise Bell Textron Canada a obtenu un contrat de 800 M$ du fédéral pour prolonger la durée de vie des 85 hélicoptères Griffon.
August 28, 2018 | Local, Aerospace
Airbus aggressively sourcing more Canadian content
When Tom Enders, then the chief executive officer of Airbus, announced in October 2017 that Canada would become the company's fifth home country and first outside of Europe, following a deal with Bombardier to acquire a majority stake in the C Series passenger jet, small- and medium-sized Canadian aerospace companies had reason to be optimistic.
Canada has typically ranked eighth or ninth among Airbus suppliers. But with the C Series now firmly under the Airbus tent (it was renamed the A220 in July), a contract award in 2016 to provide the Royal Canadian Air Force with 16 C295W fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) aircraft, and looming competitions for a future fighter jet and strategic tanker and transport aircraft, Airbus is aggressively sourcing more Canadian content.
Before you make your pitch, however, Ruben Tauste Caro, responsible for Airbus's strategic procurement in North America, has a few words of advice: no bashing the competition, no me-too products, and go easy on the wonders of your new shop floor machinery.
“I want you to tell me that you work in a very, very dedicated frequency. And in that frequency, I want you to tell me that you are the expert in a very specific niche. Then you've got me,” he told the Abbotsford Aerospace, Defence and Security Expo in August.
Airbus routinely conducts in-person assessments of its prospective suppliers and, while cost, quality, and on-time production are obvious baseline requirements, what interests Tauste Caro are signs of continuous improvement and true innovation. He said companies that claim to build a better mouse trap or be a one-stop shop for all his supply needs are quickly dismissed.
“Tell me what you are really, really good at, and if I have an opportunity in the future, that will be yours,” he said.
Continuous improvement need not involve large investments. A dashboard with measurable targets will suffice if it clearly shows progress, said Tauste Caro. “Show me your KPIs [key performance indicators]. If you don't [meet] a target that month, do you have an action behind it?”
A clear ability to set and reach targets is important, he emphasized, because if there is ever an issue with product quality, “The question is, will you overcome that issue? Do you have the right procedures, the right way of working? Is your workforce engaged?”
That's why he also asks questions about innovation. Most companies have a tendency to highlight their shop floor. While new machines and robotics are important, he always looks beyond to the people operating them.
“Innovation is people,” he said. “{They] are the key parameters in the innovation equation...[D]on't waste time on machines, tell me your way of working.” In particular, how do ideas move from the shop floor to the C-suite?
For suppliers eyeing opportunities with Airbus's commercial aircraft production, an ability to ramp up production and deliver at high rates is critical. “This is extremely important,” he stressed. “We cannot afford to have one aircraft system stopped in the warehouse.”
Tauste Caro heads a small four-person team responsible for supplier identification and development throughout North America, so he encouraged companies to call or “knock on the door,” to keep him apprised of product changes, expansion plans, new strategies, and contract awards.
“Feed me with that information. That is the daily bread and butter of my job within strategic procurement,” he said, explaining that if he's asked to recommend a supplier, “I have to be able to answer right away.”
While ramp-up of A220 production this year and delivery of the first FWSAR aircraft in 2019 might mean more opportunities for Canadian suppliers, Airbus is particularly focused on the value proposition it can offer in a future fighter jet and air-to-air refuelling aircraft competition.
“We need to work with you right now,” he told executives at the Abbotsford trade show, to identify industrial and technological benefits (ITBs) proposals for both programs and meet FWSAR obligations.
There is a “huge requirement” for ITBs within the fighter jet program, he noted. “We need to be creative, we need the suppliers.”
https://www.skiesmag.com/news/airbus-aggressively-sourcing-more-canadian-content
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April 7, 2022 | Local, Land
OPPORTUNITY: US Army xTech International - Energy Water Synthetic Biology - DEADLINE APRIL 15TH
The Trade Commissioner Service would like to make industry aware of the US Army's xTechInternational Competition, which provides a forum for eligible international small businesses to engage with the Army, earn prize money and investigate funding opportunities to tackle Army challenges across three key technology areas: Energy; Water; and Synthetic Biology. Responses are due by APRIL 15, 2022 in the form of a 3 page white paper and option 3 minute video. See full details on the xTech website here: https://www.arl.army.mil/xtechsearch/competitions/xtechinternational.html The registration/submission page may be found here: https://usg.valideval.com/teams/xtech_International/signup Problem Statements · Topic 1: Electric Power and Energy Technologies o Challenge: As new and future Army systems are planned for expeditionary operations; developers are focusing on electric power to decrease the reliance on fossil fuels and to alleviate supply line issues. The DoD is seeking technologies to facilitate future electric systems that can operate in varied conditions. Of particular interest are the following energy technologies for expeditionary operations: § Critical Infrastructure energy technologies to support high demand for electric power on the battlefield, such as tactical battlefield recharging capability for onboard vehicle batteries. § High Energy Battery Technology, greater than 400Wh/kg, to keep up with the demand for high density energy storage with long life cycle and fast charging capabilities (>=4C rate with limited degradation), across a wide operational temperature range (-46 to +71 Celsius, per MIL-PRF-32565). § Technologies for Improving Battery Safety that can reduce safety risks posed by thermal runaway of high energy density battery systems. § Open-Source Lithium ion 6T Battery Management System (BMS) & Case design that meets Army standards, which the Army can then provide to battery manufacturers, to reduce battery manufacturers' challenges to developing Army compliant lithium-ion 6T batteries. This also enables the Army to swiftly adopt of new and emerging battery cell technologies in the Lithium-ion 6T space. · Topic 2: Water Technologies o Challenge: Expeditionary forces are operating in locations where local water sources may contain microbial, chemical, or heavy metal contamination and supply lines are unreliable to deliver timely supplies. The DoD is seeking technologies to produce potable water in real-time using a scalable solution with minimal logistical requirements, in order to support enduring operations. Of particular interest are the following water technologies for expeditionary operations: § Technologies for the extraction of water from atmosphere or non-traditional water sources. § Removal of microbiological, chemical, and heavy metals on an individual scale. § Real time water sensors to support individual Soldier field purification efforts by ensuring the efficacy of the water purification device in real time and identifying contaminants in indigenous water sources. · Topic 3: SynBio Technologies o Challenge: Synthetic biology is enabling us to better harness nature to produce leap-ahead materials that we cannot make efficiently in any other way. Cell culture methods that have been the workhorse for industrial use often require very controlled process conditions and can have various limitations on the types/complexity of product produced. We want to harness biosynthesis methods beyond that paradigm to realize more efficient on-demand production of biochemicals/biomaterials anywhere in the world or fabrication of multifunctional protective materials (e.g., self-cleaning armor with integrated sensing, eye protection, tunable RF antenna and camouflage properties), and we are interested in any advancements that have been made in characterizing novel organism capabilities and steps towards engineering them. Such novel organisms could include, but not be limited to: extremophiles or typical eukaryotes (e.g., microalgae/diatoms, insect cells). Examples of potential interest areas include: § Extremophile novel biochemical pathways tuned for selective synthesis, recovery, separation, and/or remediation of high value elements/materials (e.g., production of novel energetic materials; remediation of energetics; recovery and separation/processing of rare earth and other high-value elements). § Open cultures (instead of expensive sterile systems) that support using non-sterile nutrients by non-experts in minimal protective gear. § Expanding the breadth of elements that organisms can utilize to make novel materials or precursor materials that can be converted into novel materials (e.g., as is done in polymer-derived ceramics). § Synthesis of biohybrid/multifunctional materials, toward next generation military-grade materials/coatings that cannot be affordably/feasibly fabricated in any other way [e.g., eye and sensor protection, camouflaging or concealing materials, complex multifunctional fiber materials (integrated strength/sensing/RF emission/decontamination/optical properties)]; novel energetic material production with micro/nanopackaging; structural or adhesive materials; or reinforced materials with enhanced degradation/erosion characteristics. § Human performance applications such as living sensors for harsh environments, encapsulated skin-biotics for UV/nuclear radiation protection, responsive textile-attached antimicrobials Eligibility The entities allowed to participate in this competition must be international SME businesses. SME businesses are defined as those with
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May 13, 2022 | Local, Other Defence
Canada’s defence minister says the world is ‘growing darker’ and ‘more chaotic’ - National | Globalnews.ca
Canada's Defence Minister Anita Anand emphasized the 'chaotic' state of the world means Canada will need to take a more 'bold and aggressive' look at its own continental defence.