Last Wednesday November 23rd, the Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Services (ARIES) department at Centennial College held a webinar in partnership with the Downsview Aerospace Innovation and Research (DAIR) Consortium to introduce the college's application for a Technology Access Centre (TAC) titled Hangar of the Future to diverse key industry leaders. If successful, this will be Ontario's first aerospace-specific TAC, transforming aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and equipping the aerospace industry for the future.
The webinar engaged 38 professionals in learning about the various technologies, equipment and facilities that the Hangar of the Future will offer, and sought their valuable feedback and input. The attendees were diverse and represented over 21 key industry leaders in the aerospace and innovation ecosystem, including DAIR, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd., Jazz, JD Aero, Snapon Industrial, Avianor Inc., Canadore College, Marsh Canada Ltd., Porter Airlines Inc., 5G Group of Companies, WestJet Airlines, SONAMI, Skyservice, Aviya Aerospace Systems, P&WC, PrairiesCan, Horizon Aircraft, Aeroflux, Sheridan Institute of Technology, FedDev Ontario, and Propel VR.
The participants expressed excitement and interest for the proposed development. Todd Young, Founder and President of the Young Aerospace Group Ltd, shared his support for the TAC. 'It's a fantastic opportunity for industry and academia to work together and certainly shape the future of how the MRO business will have to transition.' Having had over 35 years of experience working in the aerospace industry and holding former executive positions at De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd and Bombardier Aerospace, he understands how the MRO sector in Ontario is underserved and can greatly benefit from financial, facility and technology support.
'We all know that aircraft are changing. Climate change is driving the need for new sustainable technologies and how aircrafts are going to be maintained. The Hangar of the Future will assist the industry in transitioning, so I'm really excited.' - Todd Young, President, Young Aerospace Group Limited
Following the webinar, all attendees and registrants were invited to fill out a survey to understand the major challenges their organization is facing, technology development priorities for their business, and what resources they needed to adequately respond to their challenges and support their innovation. Additionally, an emphasis was placed on climate change innovation and understanding how organizations are positioning themselves toward sustainable aviation. The feedback gathered will help us structure the application to better reflect industry needs as well as what will best benefit the industry.
The presentation slides from the webinar can be accessed here.
What is the Hangar of the Future Technology Access Centre?
Technology Access Centres - also known as TACs - are specialized centres of expertise advancing applied research and innovation in defined sectors. They address timely innovation challenges by leveraging a college’s expertise, technology and equipment and providing them to industry organizations. The federal Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) has a dedicated TAC grant that provides up to $350,000/year for 5 years to fund the TAC's core operations. Being the largest purpose-funded applied research activity that a college in Canada can secure – and given Centennial College's rich history in practical aviation skills development, industry partnerships and leadership role in DAIR – establishing The Hangar of the Future is only a natural evolution for the college's aerospace activities in applied research and innovation. The Hangar of the Future will be leveraging the state-of-the-art facilities, equipment and technical expertise available at the newly-opened Bombardier Centre for Aerospace and Aviation at the Downsview Campus. The goal is to provide a barrier-free, affordable and responsive access to cutting-edge MRO technology and equipment for Ontario (and pan-Canadian) aerospace and aerospace-adjacent companies, focused on six major technology development themes: sensor technologies; repair technologies; digitalization and data analytics; robotics and automation; business processes; and sustainable aviation.
In order for this initiative to be successful, it is crucial to thoroughly understand the industry's needs and opportunities. Over the past few months, ARIES has consulted with industry experts and leaders in the aerospace MRO sector to ensure that the Hangar of the Future provides valuable, accessible, and adequate resources to our future clients. The webinar held last week was one such example. We are grateful for all the insight gained from engaging with aerospace industry leaders and local SMEs in the aircraft MRO sector, as well as the validation of our concept and technology development streams.
Alongside the organizations in attendance, the webinar also gathered interest from numerous other organizations including The Wohl Group, Advanced Composites Training, Celestica Inc., SIGMA Process, Canadian German Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Drakkar Aerospace & Ground Transportation - all of whom have also been invited to provide their feedback and input as well.
The team at the Applied Research and Innovation Centre at ARIES is preparing to launch a second survey that will go out even more broadly to the aerospace MRO sector. Getting perspectives from diverse industry organizations is important to us, and by doing so, Centennial College will only provide more relevant services and equipment, specialized training, business intelligence, and applied research and innovation services at the Hangar of the Future.
If you are in the aerospace or adjacent sectors, we welcome and value your insights. Please fill out our survey here!