Manufacturing in Manitoba

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017 3 Switch on the savings with LED. *Manitoba Hydro is a licensee of the Trademark and Official Mark. Contact: 204-360-3676 or toll-free 1-888-624-9376 powersmartforbusiness@hydro.mb.ca hydro.mb.ca/psfb Save big on your lighting bill, reduce your maintenance costs, and enjoy long-lasting light. Have you switched to LED? We can help, with incentives covering up to 100% of the product cost. Available in accessible formats upon request. PRAIRIE FLIGHT PATHS THE SKY'S THE LIMIT FOR MANITOBA'S AEROSPACE INDUSTRY Manitoba Aerospace Association CEO Wendell Wiebe says aerospace manufacturing represents 47 per cent of sales, totalling $915 million, and defence manufacturing represents another five per cent, with $92 million. "We're the third-largest aerospace cluster in Canada and the largest in Western Canada," he says, adding that 80 per cent of the industry's products are exported to customers on six continents. The three biggest aerospace companies in our province — Boeing, Magellan Aerospace and StandardAero — have all passed the century mark, and two of them are fully homegrown successes. StandardAero was launched in 1911 as Standard Machine Works, a repair shop for terrestrial vehicles. Today the company excels as a world leader in aircraft repair, overhaul and maintenance. Magellan Aerospace started out in 1930 as MacDonald Brothers Aircraft, and now manufactures complex components and advanced assemblies for commercial aerospace, defence and space sectors. In 1962, the company launched its first Black Brant rocket — one of the most popular sounding rockets ever built. Black Brant customers include the Canadian Space Agency, NASA and Orbital Sciences Corp. More than 1,000 Black Brant models have been launched to date, on every continent except Antarctica. Since 2003, Magellan has manufactured horizontal tail assemblies for F-35 Lightning II aircraft. The Winnipeg division, with about 700 employees, is also a centre of excellence for production of satellite buses — the framework and structure that contains everything a satellite needs to operate in space. Boeing is the relative newcomer among the big three. While the company celebrated its centennial in 2016, Boeing Winnipeg first landed here in 1971. It now boasts Canada's largest composites manufacturing facility, with more than 1,400 employees in Winnipeg producing more than 600 different composite parts and assemblies for Boeing aircraft, including the new 787 Dreamliner and all of the company's other 7-series jetliners. Other major players in the local industry include Cormer Group Industries, a leading manufacturer of machine details and assemblies for clients including Boeing Canada. Wiebe says vendors in the supply chain are among the beneficiaries of the industry's success. In 2015, about $412 million went to Canadian suppliers, including $103 million that was spent in Manitoba. Payroll accounted for another $340 million and the industry spent about $32 million on research and development. Since 2003, companies have worked with the non-profit Composites Innovation Centre to explore ways to develop new and environmentally friendly materials and technologies. Manitoba is also home to two impressive test sites for the world's largest aircraft engine manufacturers — General Electric, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce. GE engines are tested at WestCaRD in Winnipeg, while Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney invested in testing facilities at the Global Aerospace Centre for Icing and Environmental Research (GLACIER) in Thompson. Manitoba Aerospace members are invested in the community and in the workforce of the future. For the past decade, Grade 6 students have been invited to Aerospace & Aviation in Manitoba (AAiM) Day each year to get acquainted with aircraft, composites, rocketry and space science. Students at Tech-Voc High School have an opportunity to learn about aircraft repair, maintenance and manufacturing in the Aviation and Aerospace Technologies program, and there's a post-secondary option to continue studies in multiple programs offered at Red River College's Stevenson Campus in Southport. ❙ Above, left: A Boeing 787 Dreamliner rolls out on a runway. Bottom right: The Global Aerospace Centre for Icing and Environmental Research (GLACIER) in Thompson. Top right: A RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) being completed at Magellan Aerospace's advanced satellite integration facility. (PHOTO COURTESY OF CNW GROUP/ MAGELLAN AEROSPACE CORPORATION) It's been more than 100 years since the companies that would become the main anchors for Manitoba's aerospace industry were first launched. It's safe to say they've soared. Today, the aerospace sector provides direct employment for 5,300 Manitobans, and generates more than $1.9 billion in products and services.

• Cover