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Technology Clusters
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Montréal
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As Quebec's leading export industry with over $10 billion in annual shipments, the aerospace sector is among the province's most valuable economic assets. Clustered mainly in Greater Montréal, home to about 95% of Quebec's aerospace activity and over 55% of Canada's total, the industry encompasses some 170 enterprises employing over 35,000.
Montréal is home to the fourth-largest aerospace cluster in North America. It is also one of the few places in the world where all the components necessary to build an aircraft can be found within a single metropolitan area, a remarkable capacity considering the thousands of parts and components required to manufacture aircraft. The community is also the best in North America in terms of overall business operating cost performance, according to the 2004 KPMG Competitive Alternatives Study.
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1996 – Aerospace Technology Road Map 1998 – NRC-IAR proposes NRC-IAR/AMTC in Strategic Plan 2001 – Funding approved for NRC-IAR/AMTC 2004 – New facility ready for staff & equipment 2004 – NRC-IAR/AMTC Open Doors Days for SMEs and R&D organizations |
| NRC's Major Partners |
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| NRC's Major Industrial Collaborators |
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| Facts and Figures |
Montréal Aerospace Cluster is fourth largest in North America Quebec's leading export industry with over $10 billion in annual shipments Over 170 organizations with combined employment of more than 35,000 Federal investment in NRC-IAR/AMTC: $46.5 million |
Montréal's aerospace cluster has the scale, breadth, and excellence to compete against the top aircraft manufacturing centres in the world. With the addition of NRC-IAR's new Aerospace Manufacturing Technology Centre, the Montréal cluster now has a well-equipped focal point for the adoption of cutting-edge fabrication technologies. The NRC Centre further fortifies Montréal's competitive edge as the location of choice for aerospace industrial innovation. Sue Dabrowski, Executive Director, Quebec Aerospace Association |
To meet the growing needs of Montréal's aerospace cluster and its bid to remain globally competitive NRC had to significantly increase its involvement in the community. Until recently, NRC served the Montréal aerospace cluster primarily through the NRC Institute for Aerospace Research (NRC-IAR), with its specialized capabilities and facilities located in Ottawa. After extensive research and consultation, NRC determined that the cluster's greatest need, which could not be satisfied by existing NRC-IAR capabilities and facilities, was in the area of manufacturing technologies. Today, that need is being addressed by NRC-IAR's new, world-class Aerospace Manufacturing Technology Centre (NRC-IAR/AMTC), located on the campus of the University of Montréal.
Co-financed by NRC ($21.5 million) and Canada Economic Development ($25 million), NRC-IAR/AMTC is a 6,500 m2 facility that can accommodate up to 100 research staff and guest workers. To date, more than 40 staff have been hired and over $12 million invested in sophisticated research equipment.
Opened in early 2004, NRC-IAR/AMTC was originally proposed as a key response to a 1996 Aerospace Technology Road Map. That exercise, along with other industry and government sponsored studies, called for the Canadian aerospace industry, and particularly its supplier base, to be more innovative in manufacturing to remain competitive internationally.
NRC-IAR/AMTC's mission is to aid small and medium-sized companies with the transition to next-generation manufacturing. Based on needs expressed by the industry,
NRC-IAR/AMTC concentrates on four key challenges: manufacturing and life-cycle costs; environmentally compliant materials, processes, and systems; strategic intelligence and information management systems; and, human resources development. The research program at the Centre covers four main thrusts: automation, robotics and intelligent manufacturing systems; forming and joining of metallic structures; fabrication and joining of composite structures; and, material removal (machining).
In identifying the research thrusts, NRC-IAR/AMTC worked closely with the community, especially the lead cluster agency, the Quebec Aerospace Association (AQA), in which NRC is an associate member. In partnership with AQA, NRC-IAR/AMTC took the lead in developing a survey of the industry's research and technology imperatives in high-speed machining as well as the formation of a related Special Interest Group.
The high-speed machining forum is one of three Special Interest Groups that NRC-IAR/AMTC has promoted. The others are in the emerging technology fields of directionally solidified and single crystal turbine blade repair, and liquid composite moulding fabrication.
In addition to its strong relationship with AQA, NRC-IAR/AMTC is an active participant in the Consortium for Aerospace Research and Innovation in Quebec (CRIAQ), a provincial network of industry, universities and public research institutions. NRC-IAR/AMTC is engaged in three CRIAQ projects, one on metal product fabrication, and two others in the area of composite product manufacturing.
Participation in CRIAQ helps reinforce linkages between NRC-IAR/AMTC and Montréal's lead universities with aerospace programs, including Concordia, École Polytechnique, McGill and École de technologie supérieure. The ties are further strengthened by NRC-IAR/AMTC researchers who serve as adjunct professors at local universities.
With NRC-IAR/AMTC as a partner, some of the Montréal universities are building stronger business cases for new aerospace-related infrastructure projects, eligible for funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). NRC-IAR/AMTC has backed two CFI proposals, including a plan by École Polytechnique on resin transfer moulding for composite material components, and a McGill initiative in the area of aerospace materials and processes.
For more infomation on this Technology Cluster...
NRC Institute for Aerospace Research (NRC-IAR)
Ottawa: (613) 991-5738
Montréal: (514) 739-7285
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