AEROMART Montréal 2013 - Aéro Montréal awards performance labels to companies in the second cohort of the "MACH Initiative"

MONTREAL, April 23, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Aéro Montréal, Québec's aerospace cluster, presented today the MACH performance labels to 10 suppliers that comprise the second cohort of the initiative during the opening of the AEROMART Montréal 2013 business convention. The awards ceremony took place in the presence of Ms. Elaine Zakaïb, Minister for Industrial Policy and the Banque de développement économique du Québec, along with Bombardier Aerospace, mentor of the MACH Initiative, and Aluminerie Alouette, strategic partner.

"Since its inception, Bombardier Aerospace has been proud to support the MACH Initiative, which is strengthening the competitiveness of Québec's aerospace supply chain," says Kris Pinnow, Vice-President and Chief Procurement Officer, Bombardier Aerospace. "It is a great honor for us to award suppliers in the second cohort their first MACH performance labels and I am delighted to see the level of maturity they have demonstrated upon entry to the program."

The MACH Initiative is based on a mentoring relationship between customers and suppliers. It helps to encourage collaboration and innovation within the supply chain in order to improve supplier performance and competitiveness. Over the course of a year, companies in the second cohort will begin their customized development and improvement program to enhance their performance. At the end of the year, the companies will be evaluated again to show their evolution on the label performance scale of MACH 1 to MACH 5.

The 10 suppliers and their performance labels:

MACH 2

• Aérosphère
• Air Data
• Air/Terre Équipement
• Alta Précision
• CP Tech
• Elimetal
• PCM Innovation

MACH 3

• Tecnickrome Aéronautique
• Tekalia Aeronautik
• Xiphos Systems Corporation

"In its second year of deployment, the MACH Initiative is already demonstrating that it is effectively meeting a need to improve the competitiveness of suppliers," says Suzanne Benoît, President of Aéro Montréal. "The tools and services available, as well as the mentoring of suppliers by their sponsors, are allowing companies involved in the MACH Initiative to identify performance gaps and take improvement actions to better position themselves in global supply chains."

Bombardier Aerospace has been the mentor of the MACH Initiative since its inception in 2010. It has been actively involved in the definition and the implementation of the initiative and is helping to constantly improve it. It is also sponsoring three companies from the first cohort.

About MACH Initiative funding

The MACH Initiative is funded by the Québec Ministry of Finance and the Economy, Alouette inc., the Commission des partenaires du marché du travail, Canada Economic Development, the Montréal Metropolitan Community, and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy.

About Aéro Montréal

Aéro Montréal, Québec's aerospace cluster, is a strategic think tank that groups all the major decision makers in Québec's aerospace sector, including companies, educational and research institutions, associations and unions.

Aéro Montréal's mission is to mobilize industry players around common goals and concerted actions to increase the cohesion and optimize competitiveness of Québec's aerospace cluster. It aims to foster the growth and expansion of the cluster so as to ensure that it may continue to create wealth for Montréal, Québec and Canada. To find out more about Aéro Montréal, visit www.aeromontreal.ca.

About Bombardier

Bombardier is the world's only manufacturer of both planes and trains. Looking far ahead while delivering today, Bombardier is evolving mobility worldwide by answering the call for more efficient, sustainable and enjoyable transportation everywhere. Our vehicles, services and, most of all, our employees are what make us a global leader in transportation.

Bombardier is headquartered in Montréal, Canada. Our shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD) and we are listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America Indexes. In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012, we posted revenues of $16.8 billion. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.

SOURCE: Aéro Montréal

Amélie Hudon
Director, Communications and Strategy
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