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Boeing marked its continued collaboration with the Composites Innovation Centre (CIC), with the announcement of a five-year agreement to remain a key member of the Canadian Composites Manufacturing Research and Development (CCMRD) consortium.
Together with the CIC, Boeing founded the CCMRD and has since partnered with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), industry members, and universities across the country to develop world-class capabilities for the advanced manufacturing of aerospace composites to benefit Canadian industry and consortium members.
“Boeing is pleased to continue its leadership role with the CCMRD consortium, where Canadian composites manufacturing organizations and academia are driving research and development that will advance Canada’s role in providing these vital technologies to the aerospace industry,” said Raj Talwar, Boeing’s CCMRD representative and technology director for Canada.
The consortium has generated several breakthroughs and innovations in composites, including the development of complex materials processing and manufacturing technologies that have benefited both Boeing and the Canadian supply chain, and has led to the pre-qualification of Quebec-based company PCM Innovation as a Boeing-approved tooling supplier. The consortium will meet in July for a technical workshop to discuss a Boeing-Winnipeg project, which has a goal to design and build complex composite structure that is 25 per cent lighter and up to 50 per cent more cost-effective when compared with the existing baseline structure.
“The CIC is very appreciative of Boeing’s continued commitment to the consortium,” said Sean McKay, CIC president and CEO. “This has enabled commencement of a large collaborative project, which will significantly strengthen the composites supply chain in Canada with our industry, research and academic partners working together on leading edge technology developments.”
In addition to Boeing, current members of the consortium include: British Columbia-based companies Avcorp, Asco, Convergent Manufacturing Technologies and University of British Columbia; Manitoba-based companies Magellan, CIC, and Red River College; Quebec-based PCM Innovation; and Ontario and Quebec-based National Research Council of Canada.
Canada has been a customer, a supplier and a partner to Boeing in both the defense and commercial sectors since 1919. Today, more than 97 years later the company employs approximately 2,000 highly-skilled Canadian workers at facilities across the country.
Canada is home to one of the largest international supplier bases for Boeing—including more than 600 suppliers spanning every region of the country. Boeing has demonstrated its commitment to working with Canadian companies under the government’s IRB program, and the current Industrial and Technological Benefits program, having successfully completed more than US$6.7 billion in Canada, with another US$2.9 billion in high-value programs currently under way.
Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial airplanes and defense, space and security systems. The top U.S. exporter, Boeing supports airlines and U.S. and allied government customers in more than 150 countries.
Boeing products and tailored services include commercial and military aircraft, satellites, weapons, electronic and defense systems, launch systems, advanced information and communication systems, and performance-based logistics and training.
