It’s no wonder that Alabama has sent a top-level economic development team to the major air shows in Europe for many years. The annual trips to aerospace trade events Paris and London have set the stage for growth in an industry important to the state’s future.
The Paris Air Show, which begins this week, and its alternating sibling, the Farnborough International Airshow, offer Alabama’s team an unmatched opportunity to develop and build relationships with key industry figures.
In some cases, air show discussions have led directly to projects that have created jobs in Alabama.
Over the years, Alabama’s team has engaged in scores of private meetings with industry decision-makers in Paris and Farnborough. With Governor Kay Ivey leading the team in Paris, this year will be no different.
Bob Smith, the Alabama Department of Commerce’s point man on aerospace and a veteran of many air show missions, said the event is structured to foster relationships and accelerate potential deals.
“How else could the governor meet with a dozen C-suite executives in just two days? She would have to fly all over the world to do that,” said Smith, Commerce’s assistant director of business development-European strategy.
“At the Paris Air Show, you just have access to people you normally wouldn’t have access to,” he added. “That’s why every viable aerospace company in the world convenes at these air shows.”
Alabama’s team can point to notable successes at the air shows.
No. 1: BUILDING TIES WITH AIRBUS
“To compete in this technologically-forward industry, it’s important for us to present Alabama in a way that’s sophisticated and appealing.”
Alabama economic development officials have spent years cultivating a relationship with France-based Airbus. That became even more important after the company’s plans to build an U.S. Air Force refueling tanker were dashed in 2011.
Alabama officials stayed in touch with Airbus officials, connecting with them at air shows and other opportunities. It paid off: Airbus is now assembling A320 Family passenger jets at a new $600 million manufacturing facility in Mobile.
The relationship continues to grow. In May, Governor Ivey and Airbus announced plans for a $6.5 million aviation education center in Mobile that aims to interest young people in aviation careers.
“We look forward to working hand-in-hand with Governor Ivey to bring the education center to reality and help ensure its relevance as well as the future of the aerospace industry in Alabama,” Airbus Americas Inc. CEO Alan McArtor said at the time.
No. 2: MAKING A SPLASH AT THE AIR SHOW
At Farnborough in 2014, Alabama was the center of three project announcements that involved the creation of 700 aerospace jobs. The splashiest was held at GE Aviation’s exhibition hall, where the company’s leadership revealed groundbreaking plans to launch mass production of a 3-D printed jet engine nozzle in Auburn.
The global aerospace industry press was there for an announcement that put Alabama on the cutting edge of technology.
The same day, U.K.-based GKN Aerospace rolled out plans for a composite design engineering center at its aerostructures plant in Elmore County, and Huntsville-based SES announced a $70 million expansion of its helicopter-modification facility.
In one eventful day, Alabama’s aerospace industry gained around 700 future jobs.
No. 3: SPARKING JOB-CREATING PROJECTS
Talks initiated at the air shows can lead companies to make investments in Alabama.
One example is RUAG Space, a Swiss company that just opened a 130,000-square-foot manufacturing center on the campus of United Launch Alliance’s rocket factory in Decatur. The $30 million project is expected to create at least 100 jobs.
The project got started at the 2014 Farnborough Airshow, when Alabama officials met with RUAG Space’s Swiss executive team. Talks with ULA leaders about the collaboration took place at that Farnborough show and the next year at the Paris Air Show.
A grand opening for the RUAG facility, which produces aerodynamic fairings for rockets, was held May 31.
“The RUAG Space USA partnership with ULA will help keep our state on the cutting edge of aerospace innovation,” U.S. Senator Luther Strange (R-Alabama) said at the event.
Another example is GE Aviation’s additive manufacturing project in Auburn.
Plans for the additive manufacturing facility in Auburn were first discussed at the 2013 Paris Air Show when GE Aviation CEO David Joyce met with Alabama leaders. They discussed what the next generation of technology would look like and how the existing Auburn facility could fit into that.
At the 2014 Farnbough show, GE Aviation executives joined Alabama leaders to announce the $50 million project.
No. 4: LIFTING OFF WITH THE ‘MADE IN ALABAMA’ BRAND
The air shows are also a platform for promoting Alabama. In Paris, the team’s home base will be Commerce’s “Made in Alabama” booth, which features a conference room that’s booked solid for meetings.
Looking good counts: The booth won a top design award at Farnborough last year.
“To compete in this technologically-forward industry, it’s important for us to present Alabama in a way that’s sophisticated and appealing,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce.
“The ‘Made In Alabama’ booth helps us tell our story at the air show.”
Standing out at the air show is important because the U.S. Pavilion will be packed with exhibition booths from around two dozen states, cities and economic development agencies, according to air show organizers.
