I-90 Corridor Aerospace Expo & Conference A Great Success
With nearly 200 attendees, 33 exhibitors, 25 sponsors, and a full day of informative presentations, the 2016 I-90 Corridor Aerospace Conference and Expo was INWAC’s largest conference to date. Co-hosted by the Idaho Aerospace Alliance (IDA) with support from the American Manufacturer Network the event, held June 1 at the Coeur d’Alene Resort, was a great opportunity for participants to network, get up-to-speed on industry trends, and attend matchmaking sessions with Boeing, Insitu, and Bombardier.
Presenters at the event included John Byrne and Bill McSherry of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Tim Shillair of Crane Aerospace & Electronics. A panel of regional business leaders including Jack Ambrosiani of Cygnus, Ken Johnson of CM Manufacturing, and Dean Cameron of Multifab offered insight about how their firms have carved a niche in the aerospace market.
In addition to the conference sessions and expo, INWAC and the IDA hosted a reception the night before and a golf outing at the beautiful Coeur d’Alene Golf Course the following day.
To see a sampling of presentations from the event, click below:
Tim Shillair, Crane Aerospace
John Byrne, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Monica Tate, Canadian Consulate
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Aerospace Industry Outlook Positive
Following unprecedented growth over the last five years, the aerospace industry has experienced some recent softness that has some wondering about what the next five years will hold. Scott Porter of Moss Adams Capital, LLC shared his company’s perspective on the industry’s future at the recent I-90 Corridor Aerospace Conference and talked about some of the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
Porter shared that underlying industry trends and forecasts point to an “extremely favorable” outlook. Although new aircraft orders in 2015 dipped from record highs in 2014, the volume of orders over the next five years is expected to remain well above historical averages. The backlog of orders will continue and Airbus expects to increase its deliveries by 41% by 2020 and Boeing forecasts increasing its deliveries by 25%.
While these indicators are positive, Porter did caution attendees that an increase in challenges will accompany growth in opportunities. OEM’s are applying increasing pressure on their Tier 1 suppliers to share development costs to win contracts and to find new ways to reduce costs. The trend toward simplifying the supply chain will continue and will require lower tiered vendors to continue to develop strategic alliances and partnerships in order to be competitive.
To view slides from Porter’s presentation, click here. |
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Boeing Celebrates Centennial
On July 15th, Boeing will celebrate its 100th year in business. To celebrate, the company has created a webpage devoted to Boeing’s history and activities surrounding its centennial. Among the projects developed is a five-part documentary called “The Age of Aerospace”, which spans the creation of the industry through the design of the 787 Dreamliner. View the documentary here.
If you want to see Boeing work firsthand, join the SME on a tour of the Boeing 737 and 737MAX assembly facility in Renton October 7th. The Spokane Chapter of SME has graciously invited INWAC members to attend. Advanced registration is required and can be completed here.
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Washington Gets New Aerospace Leader
Gov. Jay Inslee recently named John Thornquist as Washington’s Director of Aerospace. In this role, he will lead efforts to develop and grow the state’s aerospace industry sector.
Thornquist brings 28 years of business and engineering experience to his new position. Prior to his appointment, he was managing director and CEO of Carbon Aerospace, an Everett-based engineering and manufacturing consulting firm specializing in carbon fiber composite structures. He co-founded engineering services company Global Aerosystems, which later became Kaman Engineering Services, where he served as director of Boeing programs.
Thornquist attended the I-90 Corridor Aerospace Conference in June and met with local civic and industry leaders to learn more about the aerospace sector in our region. After the meeting he said, “Spokane has an incredible aerospace ecosystem. I see strong businesses, excellent education opportunities for workers and their children, and a strong economic development culture that will continue to grow the regional economy.”
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