Aéro Montréal and the Québec aerospace industry trying to establish a sustainable supply chain
by CM Staff
During his speech, Minister Fitzgibbon announced $1.23 million in funding to extend Aéro Montréal's MACH FAB 4.0 initiative until March 31, 2022.
MONTRÉAL — On Oct. 26, Aéro Montréal held the second part of the 6th edition of the Global Aerospace Supply Chain Summit under the theme “Shaping the Future of a More Sustainable Supply Chain.” This event was meant for aerospace ecosystem stakeholders from Québec, Canada and Europe to discuss post-pandemic challenges and strategies to ensure a sustainable recovery of the global supply chain.
Aéro Montréal kicked off the event in the presence of Kareen Rispal, Ambassador of France to Canada, Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy and Innovation and Minister Responsible for Regional Economic Development, and Michèle Boisvert, Québec’s Delegate General in Paris.
Major subjects being discussed by company leaders at the Summit on Oct. 26 include the decarbonization of the sector’s activities, cybersecurity & the digitalization of processes, collaborative innovation strategies with startups and innovative SMEs, and the search for solutions to counter the severe labour shortage.
“The aerospace sector is already fully committed to accelerating the carbon neutrality of its supply chain, an essential step for the development of tomorrow’s eco-efficient aircraft,” said Suzanne M. Benoît, President of Aéro Montréal. “Québec has all the assets in hand to become the green driver of the global aerospace industry. To achieve this, we must support our SMEs throughout this major industrial transformation.”
During his speech, Minister Fitzgibbon announced $1.23 million in funding to extend Aéro Montréal’s MACH FAB 4.0 initiative until March 31, 2022. This extension will enable nine aerospace SMEs to continue their digital technology implementation projects that were delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We need to speed up the digital shift in all sectors of our economy,” noted Minister Fitzgibbon. “MACH FAB 4.0 will enable SMEs in the aerospace industry to become more competitive, to integrate better into global supply chains, and to increase their presence in export markets. This is exactly what we want to do through the digital transformation of our companies.”
Aéro Montréal and the Québec startup incubator, Centech, took advantage of the Summit to announce the signing of an agreement to support the ecosystem of startups and SMEs and try and foster sustainable innovation within the aerospace supply chain.
In conjunction with the Summit, Aéro Montréal, with the support of Services Québec, is also offering an overview of training, programs, laboratories and centres of expertise that will support the development of digital skills in the current and future workforce, to try and address the severe labour shortage.
