Technika a trh

aerospace industry l institution l agencies

MEMBERSHIP

The cluster currently numbers 51 members from among large companies, small

and medium-sized enterprises and universities. The majority of members are

SMEs with high innovative potential. The

mix is, in our opinion, highly promising

in its capabilities. The comprehensiveness of available services on a relatively

small territory lends the Czech aerospace industry a competitive advantage.

We are still capable of developing and

producing complete aircraft "in-house"

(or rather, in-country) and are able to offer these capabilities to global customers. The aviation industry is currently

highly consolidative with only 2 major

producers remaining: AIRBUS and

BOEING. Other producers include Embraer (the civil aviation section was purchased by Boeing) and Bombardier (Airbus purchased a single civil project).

This narrows down the supply and value

chain and shifts more production load

onto strategic Tier 1 suppliers. With the

current trend of growth, these suppliers

have difficulties with production capacity

and, therefore, focus on suppliers capable of delivering larger structural parts of

aircraft. The Czech aircraft industry is

one such supplier thanks to its comprehensive skills and wealth of experience.

Its strong development base is supported by broad production and testing capabilities. It is safe to say that the Czech

Republic possesses a complete supply

chain for aviation, including special

technologies and processes, from machining complex shapes, casting, heat

treatment, surface finishing, to producing composites, electronics and avionics, electric drives, hydraulic systems,

to final assembly. To do well in the face

of global competition and to secure larger projects involves making use of a

multitude of diverse skills. To that end,

MAC helps companies cooperate and

brings these projects to their door.

ACTIVITIES

The aircraft industry is a global industrial

branch and Czech companies active in

the sector export 80 % of their production. The cluster's main activity is, therefore, the internationalisation of its members to secure commercial contracts and

find partners for joint research and innovation projects. Achieving this goal requires emphasising networking and creating an extensive system of contacts.

Simply put, we have to be visible. Like

any industry, there are many specialised

trade fairs all over the world. The cluster

works to promote the skills of its members and of the Czech aerospace industry as a whole at the majority of these fairs and also enables many member companies to attend these events, often under preferential conditions. Key trade fairs of this type include the Farnborough

International Airshow and Paris Air

Show, which are usually subsidised by

the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The

Czech Republic presents itself at these

events in the form of a joint stand. But

there are many more trade fairs all around the globe. From the geographic

perspective, the most interesting markets for the cluster's members are located in Europe (primarily Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Spain), although

markets outside Europe, such as Canada, the USA, Brazil, Japan, Russia, China

or the Arabian Peninsula also hold a

great deal of promise. The cluster has

already introduced itself in all these

territories and plans to continue this

endeavour into the future. Trade fairs

are generally very financially demanding, which is why we try to procure

discounts for our members for joint

stands, or secure support in the form

of subsidies. As a trade association, we

can also propose trade fairs and events to be supported by the Ministry

of Industry and Trade. This allowed us to

arrange for our members to participate

in many trade fairs in countries such as

Germany, the UK, Canada, etc. We endeavour to ensure that companies call

attention to the fact we have many potential partners for projects in the Czech

Republic. Our joint stands help highlight the comprehensiveness of our capabilities.

TARGETED MISSION

Recently, we have noticed a change in

the targeted promotion of our members.

Large trade fairs are becoming a very

expensive affair and their duration also

plays a role. The events usually last a week and with a current shortage of workers, companies do not have the capacity to send out their employees. For small

and medium-sized enterprises, the added value of these fairs is debatable. The

time between first contact with a client

and the conclusion of a contract in the aerospace industry is usually 3 to 5 years.

Such a delay is caused by quality audits,

testing and verification of technologies,

and checking of qualifications. Therefore, companies are logically much more

interested