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A little bit of Ontario is there in every flight
you take, wherever in the world you might be.
An aerospace hub with clusters homing expertise
in manufacturing the aircraft from nose to tail,
Ontario makes more than 45% of Canadian aerospace
products.
Completed aircraft is the most dominant segment
for product exports, but landing gear systems
mostly from Ontario had one of the highest growth
rates for 2007-2012. The next time your plane
touches down smoothly and safely without jerks
and creeks, you can credit it to landing equipment
manufactured in Ontario, Canada. Forty percent
of all commercial airline landing gear is made
here. Ontario has about 350 aerospace firms that
collectively employ approximately 22,000 people.
Fourteen of the top 25 aerospace companies in
the world have operations in Ontario including
Honeywell, Bombardier, Pratt & Whitney Canada,
EADS, L-3, Safran, UTC Aerospace Systems, Magellan
and Thales.
Wendy Tilford Ontario’s Deputy Minister
of Economic Development, Trade and Employment
stressed that the ministry partners with industry
through a range of initiatives like supporting
closer connections between aerospace industry
and our educational institutions that will help
train more people to work in the industry.
“Ontario is home to 14 universities with
engineering programs, five of which offer post-graduate
programs in aerospace and space engineering, 10
colleges offering over 20 aerospace/aviation-specific
programs. Further, Ontario recently announced
plans to invest in a new Centennial College facility
for aviation programs at the former de Havilland
aircraft manufacturing plant at Downsview Park.
This is the first step in creating an aerospace
training and research hub for the development
of new technologies.By promoting innovation and
research development through the Ontario R&TD
Challenge, a $2.5 million program that supports
technology development in areas of strategic importance
to Ontario’s aerospace sector. The first
round of technology projects to be funded by this
program will be announced shortly,” she stated.
Ontario Aerospace Council aims to enhance recognition
of the Ontario aerospace sector as a leader in
global aerospace markets and to build stronger
capabilities to assure continued growth.
For Ontario’s important industries to
grow, the need is to make sure employers have
the support and workforce they need. Ontario’s
skilled labour force includes a deep pool of manufacturing
specialists who know not only aerospace in general
— but also landing gear, specifically. Many
of the world’s top landing-gear manufacturers
locate in Ontario to access this labor force,
including Messier-Bugatti-Dowty, UTC Aerospace
(formerly Goodrich), HérouxDevtek –
and Sumitomo group.
UTC Aerospace Systems’ legacy Goodrich
Landing Gear business has been named among the
Greater Toronto Area’s top employers for
2013 by Mediacorp Canada. This special designation
recognises Greater Toronto Area (GTA) employers
that lead their industries in offering exceptional
places to work. The UTC Aerospace Systems facilities
located in Oakville and Burlington, Ontario were
considered alongside other GTA manufacturing organisations
to determine which offer the most progressive
and forward-thinking programmes. Messier-Bugatti-Dowty,
a Safran company designs, develops, manufactures
and supports landing gear systems. A unique combination
of advanced engineering capabilities, integrated
systems technology and experience on an exhaustive
range of programs enables Messier-Bugatti-Dowty
to provide innovative solutions for a diverse
range of aircraft.
In the area of large commercial airliners,
the company not only supplies landing gear for
the entire range of Airbus aircraft, including
the latest A350-900, but also the landing gear
for the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In addition,
it is a leading supplier to the world’s business
and regional jet programs, including Bombardier’s
Global and Challenger families, the complete family
of Dassault Falcon jets, Hawker Beechcraft’s
750/900XP and 4000, as well as the Sukhoi Superjet
100.
In the military sector, it partnered the world’s
most advanced military programs, including, among
others, Boeing’s F/A-18E/F, the Eurofighter
and Dassault Aviation’s Rafale. This product
range also extends to helicopters and tiltrotors,
where Messier-Dowty supports both the V22 and
the erstwhile Eurocopter now Airbus Helicopter’s
Tiger programs. The company is also responsible
for the integrated landing gear system of Airbus
Military’s A400M transporter aircraft.
Japanese landing-gear manufacturer Sumitomo
decided to establish its $50 million global aero
division. The 2012 launched Mississauga facility
is ideally located at the heart of Ontario’s
concentration of landing gear expertise and looks
forward to offering an expanded suite of products
and services to its North American aerospace customers.
The availability of aero expertise and access
to the North American market are just two of the
competitive advantages in addition to Ontario’s
comparatively low business-operating costs with
Ontario’s combined (federal-provincial) general
corporate income tax rate being lower than the
average of G8 and G20 countries, and lower than
the average federal/state rate in the United States.
All these competitive advantages underpin the
growth of Ontario’s aerospace industry, which
now includes more than 350 firms with combined
annual sales of approximately $6.5 billion, 80
percent of which comes from exports.
For aero companies, the supplier base in Ontario
is broad and deep. It includes manufacturers of
structural components, satellite sub-systems,
and avionics that service customers both worldwide
and within the Ontario cluster.
Bombardier, for example, has a state-of-the-art
facility in Toronto, where the company manufactures
its highly successful series of business jets
and turboprops, as well as wings for the Learjet
45 XR. Bombardier is quick to credit part of its
global success to the quality and diversity of
local suppliers.
The supply chain management is complete as
Ontario is also home to world-scale automotive,
electronics, and information technology industries
whose advanced manufacturing needs and capabilities
overlap the aero industry. This industrial diversity
provides innovative companies with the economies
of scale they need to develop lightweight composites,
next-generation sensor arrays, and other leading-edge
technologies.
Research and innovation have long been hallmarks
of the Ontario aero industry. During the past
75 years, made-in-Ontario innovations with global
impacts have included the anti-gravity suit, the
de Havilland Beaver (the world’s first successful
short take-off and landing airplane), and the
world’s first emergency locator device.
Pratt & Whitney Canada, one of the research
leaders in Canada’s aero industry, is investing
nearly $140 million in its research and manufacturing
facility in Mississauga. One of their goals is
to develop new electric-engine technologies that
will help operators reduce their fuel consumption
and greenhouse gas emissions.
Magellan Aerospace Corporation, the Canadian
manufacturer of aerospace systems and components
also repairs and overhauls, tests, and provides
aftermarket support services for engines, and
engine structural components. The company’s
business units are divided into the product areas
of aeroengines, aerostructures, rockets and space,
and specialty products. It is a component supplier
for the Airbus A380, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner,
the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and Bombardier’s
complete line of business and commuter aircraft.
Magellan also supplies gas turbine components
for airplanes, helicopters, and military vehicles
such as the M-1 Abrams tank. And nearer home some
components of the Tejas our LCA are on display
in the works done section.
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