26 AEROSPACEMANUFACTURING | MARCh 2010
AerospAce clusters I The AmericAs
Meet and compete
As Paul Sinclair, European representative, Washington State Department of
Commerce outlines, the economic advantage of any cluster is in enabling innovative
collaboration as well as competition.
T
he history of the aerospace industry in Washington (WA)
State is almost as long as the history of the aircraft. In
1916, just thirteen years after the Wright brothers took
their first flight at Kitty Hawk, William Boeing founded the
Pacific Aero Products Company, renamed Boeing Airplane
Company a year later. It was then that WA State started
charting its growth to become one of the dominant regions
in the world for aerospace manufacture. It is based on this
heritage, combined with the State’s entrepreneurial spirit that
forms the roots of Washington’s continuing lead in aerospace
design and manufacture.
Q: Why do you feel is it important to have an aerospace
cluster?
With over 600 companies engaged in all phases of aerospace
Take to the skies: The new Boeing 747-8 Freighter completes its first flight
research, design, engineering and manufacturing, WA State is
at the heart of the Pacific Northwest’s aerospace cluster. It is The Pacific Northwest aerospace cluster engages in all current
the basis for a vibrant and prosperous industry, easily adaptable major commercial aerospace programmes worldwide as well as
to the needs of an ever changing worldwide supply chain all major US military programmes. ElectroImpact has designed
environment. the tooling and fixtures for the horizontal construction for
Q: What is your aerospace cluster’s aim? the wings of both the A380 and the A350 XWB. Global
WA State’s primary goal is to generate a competitive Aerosystems is heavily engaged in the development of the
environment for the aerospace industry to grow and expand Mitsubishi Regional Jet. Insitu, a Boeing company is a leading
within all aspects of the industry, from commercial to military, designer and manufacturer of medium sized UAVs.
manned and unmanned, including space and ultimately, our Q: How is the cluster responding to OEM demand
goal is to provide the best quality service, on time at the most signals for new and advanced technological innovations?
competitive price over the life cycle of the product. Is the region obtaining funding to keep pace with these
Q: What kinds of capabilities can your member changes in production methodologies?
companies offer aerospace OEMs? WA State is currently undertaking a strategic review via
Boeing historically has provided the impetus to develop the Commerce Department and the Washington Aerospace
innovative solutions. With the globalisation of the supply Council to determine how the State can best meet future needs
chain, our companies have adapted to provide this broad range for the evolving global aerospace industry. We have already
of services to OEMs around the globe. With the presence of taken steps to increase technical and engineering training
global tier one and two companies like BAE Systems, Safran, and are in the process of identifying other efforts, including
GE Aerospace, Crane Aerospace, Mitsubishi, Goodrich and meeting those above.
Triumph in the region, our lower tier companies are able to WA State undertook this effort with the realisation that over
quickly adapt to the changing needs of the supply chain for all the next few years there will be a dramatic change in global
major OEMs. We want to grow in composite development as aerospace as Boeing continues to outsource its core work and
well as the diversity of companies supplying quality engineering as Airbus, China, Russia, Japan, Canada and Brazil outsource
solutions provides continual strength to the cluster. and create new competing products that challenge the current
Q: What are the key aerospace programmes that the duopoly. ❙
cluster is actively engaged in? www.exportwashington.com/uk
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