3 novembre 2017 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR

OEMs will invest in Canadian content if they have procurement program stability

If the Canadian government is to inject billions of dollars into military procurement over the next decade and successfully deliver on dozens of major capital projects, the defence industry must play a critical role.

When the new defence policy was released in June 2017, the Liberal government committed to increase the Department of National Defence (DND) budget from $18.9 billion to $32.7 billion by 2026-27 and provide up to $62 billion for the military over the next 20 years.

Experience has shown, however, that increased spending can strain government and industry capacity to meet the requirements and schedules for multiple projects.

Industry is up for the challenge providing it has predictability in the programs and the process, said Mike Greenley, president of Burlington, Ont.-based L3 WESCAM and a former chair of the board for the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI).

“Industry capacity to respond and surge is obviously greater the more horizon you can give it,” Greenley said at a recent Ottawa conference, hosted by the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, examining the implications of Canada's Defence Policy: Strong, Secure, Engaged.

Greenley–a former executive with General Dynamics and CAE and a veteran of many procurement programs–said large foreign and Canadian manufacturers would make the necessary investments in smaller Canadian companies and production capacity if they have confidence in the opportunity.

“If we talk about these things far enough ahead of time, I think people will invest and have Canadian content ready,” he added.

MGen Jean-Marc Lanthier, chief of program, said the new policy had generated almost four dozen projects, but he cautioned that the government and military could not succeed if “we don't tap into innovation.”

One way to encourage early industry engagement might be to run competitions at the research and development (R&D) phase of certain projects, rather than waiting until after the statement of requirements (SOR) has been fully defined.

“If [you wait] for the SOR and everyone fights to the death for that thing, then your ability to respond and scale up is obviously diminished because you are not going to believe in it until, for sure, you absolutely have [it],” Greenley stated. “Industry can do a lot more if they are engaged earlier.”

As an example, he pointed to the process to replace the current fleet of CP-140 Aurora aircraft, which is undergoing a series of block upgrades to extend service life into the 2030s. If, as the commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) has suggested, the goal is a Canadian-built maritime patrol platform with Canadian-developed anti-submarine warfare and other capabilities, “while we modernize the CP-140s today, we could run a competition tomorrow [to get] an industrial team together for next generation maritime patrol.”

That would “allow things to happen easier and quicker, engage the whole base sooner, in addition to giving them stability” to survive a change in government or government priorities, he said. “We wouldn't normally do that in Canada. But to [earlier] points about how do you connect industrial capacity with innovation, with trying to get more done with less people with more money, we could [do it].”

Defence policies rarely survive as economic blueprints beyond their first few years. In a panel on framing the government's challenge, several former senior public executives noted how quickly a shift in the domestic financial picture or international circumstances forced previous governments to change course.

Still, current government officials were optimistic about the policy, noting it is still early days. Andre Fillion–chief of staff, Materiel, and a former RCAF officer who led the acquisition programs for the CC-177 Globemaster, CC-130J Hercules, CH-147F Chinook and CH-148 Cyclone–acknowledged that more certified project managers are needed, as are improvements to streamline the procurement process.

An increase in contracting authority to $5 million would allow the Army, Navy, Air Force and special operations forces to directly manage about 80 per cent of DND's procurement projects, freeing up resources and staff for the larger, more challenging and riskier programs.

The department will look more holistically at projects, factoring in infrastructure requirements, like hangars, when it acquires an aircraft, and it will place greater reliance on analytics using data to drive decisions on complex programs, said Jody Thomas, deputy minister of National Defence.

The department also added two new associate deputy ministers with extensive experience in government and procurement. “We are restructuring the department to deliver,” concluded Thomas.

https://www.skiesmag.com/news/oems-will-invest-canadian-content-procurement-program-stability/

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16 janvier 2019 | Local, Aérospatial

The National Research Council of Canada and Fives join forces to develop inspection technology for the aerospace sector
Licensing the next-generation of surface profilometer for in-process inspection MONTREAL, Jan. 15, 2019 /CNW/ - As the aerospace industry in Canada and around the world continues to increase its use of automated composite manufacturing techniques to produce large aircraft components, the industry is eager to find solutions to manufacture reliable, safe, and cost effective composite structures. The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and Fives are working together to improve the efficiency of manufacturing composite parts. They are developing an advanced profilometer that will provide faster and more accurate part inspection. Based on an innovative optical technology, the advanced profilometer for composite placement shows considerable advantages over existing inspection technologies used for the same purposes. This groundbreaking in-process inspection technology will help manufacturers meet strict standards by providing superior measuring information without limiting the process functionality. These faster, better measurements will speed up manufacturing processes, reduce the risk of errors, and help composite manufacturers be more competitive. Fives has already started the last testing stage of the next-generation profilometer with customers and expects to begin commercializing the technology before the end of 2019. The NRC and Fives will continue to work together to advance this technology and bring innovative manufacturing solutions to the aerospace industry. Quick facts Manufacturing makes up nearly half of Canada's aerospace sector. Canada is home to more than 700 aerospace companies employing over 85,000 skilled professionals. The aerospace industry contributed $12.6 billion to Canadian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2017. The NRC's aerospace manufacturing technologies centre supports industry, particularly the aerospace sector, in developing, demonstrating and implementing next-generation, cost-effective manufacturing methods. Fives designs and supplies machines, process equipment and production lines for various industrial sectors and is a major supplier of composite manufacturing equipment to the aerospace industry. The engineering group employs close to 8,700 people in about thirty countries, mainly in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The Metal Cutting and Composites group that worked on this project has over 1,100 people globally. Quotes "The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is proud to work with Fives to advance the profilometer technology, pioneered by a multidisciplinary NRC team. Our expertise, paired with Fives' forward-thinking methods, will help achieve the original vision of developing an innovative, high-impact solution that enhances the efficiency of automated composite manufacturing and facilitates the digital transformation of the process. " Iain Stewart President, National Research Council of Canada "This is an exciting project for Fives as it demonstrates our commitment to advancing state-of-the-art composite application technology with productivity driven innovations, for both new and existing installations." Steve Thiry President and CEO, Fives Machining Systems Inc. "We have a strong history of supporting innovation. By joining with the National Research Council of Canada, we are once again contributing to the evolution of cutting-edge technologies for the aerospace and defense industries." Erik Lund President and CEO, Fives Lund About the National Research Council of Canada The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is the Government of Canada's largest research organization. It is a key part of the Innovation and Skills Plan and of Budget 2018's commitment to supporting Canada's researchers to build a more innovative economy. To help position Canada as a global leader, the NRC is increasing its collaboration with regional ecosystems and with universities, polytechnic institutions and colleges, and establishing collaboration centres across the country. Twitter: @nrc_cnrc Instagram: @nrc_cnrc About Fives As an industrial engineering Group with a heritage of over 200 years, Fives designs and supplies machines, process equipment and production lines for the world's largest industrial players in various sectors such as steel, aerospace and special machining, aluminium, automotive and manufacturing industries, cement, energy, logistics and glass. The effectiveness of its R&D programs enables Fives to design forward-thinking solutions that anticipate industrials' needs in terms of profitability, performance, quality, safety and respect for the environment. In 2017, Fives achieved a turnover of €1.9 billion and employed close to 8,700 people in about thirty countries. Twitter: @fivesgroup SOURCE National Research Council Canada For further information: Media Relations, National Research Council of Canada, 613-991-1431, 1-855-282-1637, media@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca; Kimberly Prophett, Fives - Metal Cutting Composite, + 920 906 2566, kimberley.prophett@fivesgroup.com https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/the-national-research-council-of-canada-and-fives-join-forces-to-develop-inspection-technology-for-the-aerospace-sector-872551740.html
29 janvier 2020 | Local, Aérospatial

Laflamme Aéro reçoit 2 millions de dollars en capital de risque
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Nous sommes fiers de soutenir une jeune entreprise aéronautique de pointe établie dans la région de Chaudière-Appalaches, afin de lui permettre d'être compétitive dans les différents secteurs ciblés afin de tirer son épingle du jeu dans un marché mondial de plusieurs milliards de dollars », soutient M. Pierre Fitzgibbon, ministre de l'Économie et de l'Innovation. « Un secteur fort compétitif comme l'aéronautique exige des investissements majeurs en recherche et développement de la part des entreprises, et ce, sur plusieurs années, avant d'en arriver au stade de précommercialisation. Dans le cadre du mandat élargi que lui confie le gouvernement, Investissement Québec entend déployer des efforts particuliers pour financer et accompagner les entreprises des régions non urbaines comme Laflamme Aéro. 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7 novembre 2018 | Local, Aérospatial

Magellan Awarded CDN $140 Million Contract Extension with Airbus
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