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
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