CANADIAN AEROSPACE manufacturer Bombardier will rely on internally generated growth, rather than major acquisitions in the aerospace sector in the foreseeable future, according to company chairman and chief executive Laurent Baudouin.
Figures released at Bombardier's annual meeting on 21 June in Montreal showed that, up to the 30 April, the company had an aerospace sector order backlog of C$5.9 billion ($4.2billion) - about the same level as the company's annual sales for 1994 from all divisions. Bombardier has been on a buying spree in recent years, acquiring the Canadair, Learjet, De Havilland and Shorts companies.
The backlog includes, orders for 49 Canadair Regional jets, 42 de Havilland Dash 8s, over 40 orders for its Global Express business jet, which will be ready for delivery at the end of 1997 and 12 orders for the Challenger 604 and 60 orders for the Learjet 45, which will be available at the end of 1996.
To cope with the backlog, Bombardier is increasing production of the Regional Jet from four to five units a month and the Dash 8 from three to four aircraft a month.
The company announced in 1994 a three-year C$168 million modernisation programme to increase the manufacturing capacity for large aircraft-components at its Montreal assembly plant.
For the fiscal year ending 31 January 1995, the company delivered a total of 123 aircraft, compared with 101 the previous year. Aerospace sector income before tax was up at C$141.4 million, compared with C$136.5 million in 1994. Sales increased 33% to C$3 billion from C$2.2 billion.
Source: Flight International
