Aéro Montréal Launches MACH Initiative to optimize Quebec's aerospace supply chain

"Quebec's aerospace industry has been mobilizing to stay competitive and maintain its global position, and has decided to quickly address the supply chain challenges," said Gilles Labbé, Chairman of the Board of Aéro Montréal and President and Chief Executive Officer of Héroux-Devtek."Stemming from the work by Aéro Montréal's Supply Chain Working Group, the MACH initiative is the result of joint discussions among members of the cluster and intends to be a unifying process to support the long-term strategic growth of the sector," says Philippe Hoste, Chairman of Aéro Montréal's Supply Chain Working Group and Chief Executive Officer of Sonaca Montréal.The supply landscape in the aerospace industry is undergoing a rapid transformation. In a context of market globalization and increased competition, major OEMs are reducing their number of suppliers and working with companies who are able to offer integrated solutions and to manage multiple sub-contractors.This trend is leading to the development of partnerships among OEMs and suppliers, from co-design to the management of technological, operational and financial risks. OEMs are increasingly dependent on the performance and seamlessness of these collaborations to stand out among their customers. They need to equip themselves with a flexible and integrated supply chain in which each link adds value.Consequently, to position themselves on future aircraft programs, Quebec companies must move towards more competitive models. "Effective management of the supply chain is becoming a key competitive driver for our companies and the entire Quebec aerospace sector," said Clément Gignac, Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade. "Quebec is one of the most dynamic and high performance markets in the global aerospace industry. Our government supports this initiative, which will help Québec and its companies remain among the global leaders. This is a challenge that we must all tackle together."MACH The MACH initiative aims to strengthen the supply chain structure and companies involved in it by creating special collaboration links among customers and suppliers. It will also promote the implementation of strategies and projects which will help fill in existing integration gaps of the Quebec aerospace supply chain. By doing so, it aspires to help develop a world-class supply chain.Centered on a program of developing supplier competitiveness, including a performance label, all the measures deployed as part of the MACH initiative will allow suppliers to evaluate their situation, identify opportunities for improvement, and take appropriate action. MACH will begin with a pilot project that will involve about 20 Quebec suppliers who will benefit from services offered by the initiative as well as the expertise and guidance of more than six world-class manufacturers.The initiative will progressively make available to participating companies services, tools and methodologies to evaluate and improve their performance and market position and further develop business opportunities. While the specific implementation methods remain to be finalized, the program will include services such as:- An assessment of organizational performance- Support to carry out a continuous improvement plan based on action priorities- Tailored training programs- Mechanisms for performance measurement and benchmarking at the national and international levels- Tools for dissemination of information and strategic intelligence- A visibility plan that will promote companies both nationally and internationally by showing how they have improved their performance.