15 April 2013 - Aéro Montréal Annual General Meeting: Positive results in 2012

MONTRÉAL, April 15, 2013 – Aéro Montréal, Québec’s aerospace cluster, reported positive results for 2012 during its Annual General Meeting held today at McGill University’s Faculty Club.

“The year 2012 was crucial for our industry,” said Gilles Labbé, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aéro Montréal and President and Chief Executive Officer of Héroux-Devtek. “In addition to having returned to growth with a 1.2% increase in sales, the industry chose last year to pool its forces by merging Aéro Montréal and the Québec Aerospace Association (AQA).”

Following the merger, the Market Development-SMEs Working Group was established to promote and support SME business development. By fostering an even greater cohesion among various industry players, this consolidation has created a new synergy and helped to lay the groundwork for a long-term strategy that will allow SMEs to compete internationally.

“The mobilization of all stakeholders in our industry is critical and we must continue to focus our efforts on those things that set us apart and work together to keep a step ahead of the competition,” said Suzanne Benoît, President of Aéro Montréal.

Working with its partners, Aéro Montréal has implemented structuring initiatives responding to various issues that affect the supply chain, innovation and development of the next generation of workers. It submitted a brief as part of consultations for updating the national research and innovation policy, drafted a white paper on human resources, and ensured the expansion of the MACH Initiative, both locally and international.

During the annual meeting, Aéro Montréal signed a second collaboration agreement with the Pôle de Compétitivité Aéronautique et Spatial Skywin Wallonia aerospace cluster. The two organizations will now conduct a feasibility study to evaluate the potential deployment of the MACH Initiative in Wallonia. They will submit a joint project within the framework of the next meeting of the Joint Québec-Wallonia-Brussels Commission.

This project aims to bring together and network the supply chains of Québec and Wallonia’s industrial clusters. It will also enhance the visibility and reputation of the MACH Initiative internationally and enable SMEs from the two clusters with MACH performance labels to raise their profiles with prime contractors and integrate more easily into their value chains.

About Aéro Montréal

Aéro Montréal, Québec's aerospace cluster, is a strategic think tank that groups all the major decision makers in Québec's aerospace sector, including companies, educational and research institutions, associations and unions.

Aéro Montréal's mission is to mobilize industry players around common goals and concerted actions to increase the cohesion and optimize competitiveness of Québec’s aerospace cluster. It aims to foster the growth and expansion of the cluster so as to ensure that it may continue to create wealth for Montréal, Québec and Canada. To find out more about Aéro Montréal, visit www.aeromontreal.ca.

For information :
Amélie Hudon

Director, Communications and Strategy

Phone : (514) 987-9334
Cell.: (514) 262-8417
amelie.hudon@aeromontreal.ca