Canadian aerospace companies are seeking partnerships with Europe, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises, "-to smooth out our dependence on the USA", according to Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) president Peter Smith.
He believes that Canada's exchange rate, work skills and lower production costs offer good prospects for European companies. At present about two-thirds of the 80% of Canadian output which is exported goes to the USA.
AIAC has signed memoranda of understanding (MoU) with Associazione Industrie per l'Aerospazio, I Sistemi e la Difesa in Italy and with the Society of British Aerospace Companies, and is close to a similar deal with Germany's BDLI. The German MoU covers equipment and parts for mechanical, electronic and hydraulic systems, and for spacecraft, electronics for missiles and drones, and aerospace materials.
Around 15 potential German partners have been identified and nine Canadian companies are interested in joint ventures that could be advanced over the next few months. A proposed agreement with GIFAS in France also could yield benefits by the time of the Paris air show next year.
A recent trade mission of 22 Canadian firms to France, Germany and the UK has met Airbus Industrie partners about possible involvement in the A3XX. A UK trade mission is expected to visit Canada next year. Under the MoU for the UK, Smith says a formal agreement is expected in January covering joint funding of a project to find an alternative to cadmium, an anti-corrosive metal applied to steel. This will involve Canada's National Research Council, AIAC companies, and the University of Toronto, alongside UK partners.
Longer-term Canadian aspirations for Asian agreements are likely to focus on Taiwan, the two countries having exchanged trade missions this year. A Taiwanese visit to Ontario focused on maintenance, repair and overhaul, training and simulation, aircraft interiors and manufacturing.
Source: Flight International
