Upon arrival in Montréal, one of the first things visitors experience is one of the best airports in North America, with direct access to almost 150 destinations around the globe. But Montréal’s place in the world of aviation goes much further – the aerospace industry is in fact one of the city’s leading sectors, home to some of the most prestigious names in the field. Place your bags in the overhead cabins, because this flight is ready for take-off.
Working together to lead the way
Bringing together industries across the metropolitan landscape, Montréal Clusters has grouped nine of the most active sectors in the city into a united front to maintain Montréal’s competitive edge. There’s nine key economic sectors in total: Aluminum, Clean technology, Fashion, Film and television, Financial services, Information and communications technology (ICT), Life sciences, Logistics and transportation and Aviation, all of whom work to foster municipal growth, investment and collaboration in their respective sectors.
Arranging for clear flying ahead
Aéro Montréal, the aerospace cluster of the province of Québec, pulls together major companies, educational institutions, unions and associations in a creative think tank founded in 2006. They mobilize Montréal’s aerospace industry around six common goals, keeping the city at the forefront of international aerospace development and success. Here’s a quick fly-over of their primary functions:
- Branding and Promotion: grabbing visibility for the Québec aerospace industries around the world, the Branding and Promotion Working Group creates a unified message and strategy for the sector as a whole.
- Innovation: working with university and public research teams, designers and other innovators, the Innovation Working Group fosters development and seeks out projects deserving of further support.
- Human Resources: boasting the industry’s highest density of employment in the world, one in 190 people work in the aerospace sector in Québec. The Human Resources Working Group focuses on succession and manpower within the sector.
- Supply Chain Development: overseeing the implementation of action plans to turn up Québec’s competitive edge as an aerospace supplier, the Supply Chain Development Working Group works close with the MACH initiative to foster longterm growth.
- Defence and National Security: responding to issues of national security and defence, this working group also aims to procure major contracts for the Québec aerospace industry in this field.
- Growth Working Group: promoting overall business development and the global presence of the Québec aerospace industry, the Growth Working Group also works on creating synergies within the sector as a whole.
With world-leading companies like Bombardier Aerospace, Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney and CAE calling Québec home and the ability to built an aircraft from nose to tail within a 30-kilometre radius of the city (read more on the local aerospace industry here), Montréal’s aerospace future is looking bright with clear flying ahead.
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