Focus of mission is to establish partnership opportunities with Maryland companies
BALTIMORE, MD – Looking to establish possible partnerships with the Patuxent River Naval Air Station and aerospace companies in Maryland, a delegation of 11 Canadian companies met with representatives from the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command, state and local officials and private sector aerospace businesses on September 22-23, 2004. The two-day visit, organized by the World Trade Center Montréal and the Québec Aerospace Association (AQA), included a tour of the Naval Air Station, one-on-one meetings between companies, seminars and networking events.
“The Québec aerospace industry has a well deserved reputation as a leader in aerospace R & D and production. Maryland has a highly skilled workforce, outstanding research and testing facilities and a strong aerospace industry sector,” said Aris Melissaratos, Maryland Secretary of Business and Economic Development. “Establishing partnerships between Québec and Maryland aerospace companies will strengthen and enhance the reputations of both of our industry sectors, particularly in the areas of research and development and manufacturing.”
“The aerospace industry – one of the best-performing sectors in our economy – generates annual revenues in excess of $20 billion in Canada, and a large part of it is in Québec, especially in the greater Montreal area. Québec exports approximately 80 percent of its production, representing an annual value of nearly $11 billion. In addition, Montreal is the third largest aerospace centre in the world, after Seattle and Toulouse. It is because of this that we are joining forces with the AQA to help the companies in this strategic business sector take advantage of the potential represented by the American defense market,” stated Mr. Benoit Labonté, president and chief executive officer of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, of which the World Trade Centre Montreal is a service branch.
“This joint trade mission with the WTC Montréal provides Québec aerospace SME’s [small and medium enterprises] with greater insight and understanding of the opportunities available to them within the US defense aerospace sector,” commented Sue Dabrowski, general manager, AQA. “Defense is very important to the Québec aerospace industry. This mission will allow us to open doors and can be used as a platform for future activities. Our participating SMEs are a shining example of the benefits of working together as a group and will help bring future defense opportunities into the province of Québec.”
The two-day trade mission was organized by the World Trade Centre Montréal, a service branch of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, in partnership with the Québec Aerospace Association and in collaboration with the Canadian Commercial Corporation and the Canadian Embassy in the United States. Fields of expertise include: aircraft structures, engines and components; metal fabrication, machining and processing; software; ground support equipment; avionics and electronics; aircraft systems and components; and aerospace simulation and training, computer hardware and software. Canadian companies will have the opportunity to participate in four or five one-on-one meetings with Maryland companies and representatives from the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, attend a preparatory seminar on the procurement procedures, and learn more about the programs and specific needs of the Naval Air Systems Command.
Canadian companies participating in the trade mission include: Aero Mecachrome, Air Data, Alta Precision, EMS Technologies, Héroux Devtek, Marinvent Corporation, MAX Technologies, Mindready Solutions, Polyplan Technologies, Rasakti and Simgraph. Maryland companies include: Sikorsky; Lockheed Martin; Boeing; BAE; Presidio; CACI; Platform Systems, Inc.; Eagan, McAllister Associates, Inc.; ARINC; Jahn Corp and the Patuxent Partnership.