Senator, governor in town to talk about Airbus
Kettering-Oakwood Times – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Senator Sherrod Brown worked to see the state's aerospace industry take off when they attended an Airbus Suppliers Summit at National Composite Center, 2000 Composite Drive on April 6.
This was the second in what Strickland and Brown hope will be several conferences to promote collaboration between Ohio businesses and Airbus Americas, the stateside branch of the European-based aircraft manufacturer. The first meeting was held in Cleveland at the Ohio Aerospace Institute on Dec. 7 of last year.
During the summit, Ohio suppliers were advised by Airbus procurement executives on how they could join Airbus Americas' supply chain. Tier one and Tier two suppliers were also present to teach businesses on how to procure a contract with Airbus and its subcontractors.
Small and mid-sized suppliers learned about current needs of the industry; structures and materials, systems, propulsion, cabin, and new technologies were all key procurement areas stressed during the summit
For Brown, Airbus is a perfect fit for Ohio; over 120,000 Ohioans work in aerospace, and the state had an estimated $4 billion in direct Airbus procurement last year. The senator would like to see Ohio capitalize on its aviation manufacturing capabilities as a way of recovering from the severe hit taken by the state's auto industry.
