Aerospace Industry News

At present membership of the Association stands at 37 companies/organisations whose output represents the bulk of the work done in the industry. The chairman is Mr T. T. Anderson, Managing Director, British Aerospace Australia and the Executive Officer is Brigadier (Rtd) I. J. Meibusch. The Association is managed on the members’ behalf by the Metal Trades Industry Association’s Canberra Office (062) 47 2233.

Aussies Working Together at the Paris Air Show

Australia was well represented at the Aeronautique Espace 1987 better known to Australians as the 1987 Paris Air Show grouped together by Austrade and the Association of Australian Aerospace Industries (AAAI). Twelve Australian companies attended the show; they included: Hawker de Havilland Ltd, British Aerospace Australia Pty Ltd, Qantas Airways Limited, Trippett Allan and Associates Pty Ltd, SCEL Pty Ltd, Lucas Aerospace Australia, Hawker Pacific Pty Ltd, Thruster Aircraft (Australia) Pty Ltd, Ashley Computer Services Pty Ltd, Ansett Technologies, Westpac Banking Corporation, Strathaird Pty Ltd.

Australian involvement in the aerospace field was featured on a sector basis. The Australian stand was highlighted by a model of Aussat, suspended above the exhibits which portrayed Australian capabilities in the space, air platforms, support systems and electronic systems sectors. An Australian chalet at the Show was also used each trade day to host a series of seminars to explain to the worlds’ aerospace leaders, who attended the Show, what capabilities existed in Australia.

“It was the first time we attempted to market Australia’s capabilities as distinct from individual company products”, the Chairman of AAAI Mr Tim Anderson told ‘Australian Aviation’.

“It is an indication that Australian companies recognise that we must work together if we are to make an impression at the world level. The government, the unions and the companies are showing a willingness to do this for the good of Australia. It will mean that the ambitious export targets of over $A1 billion, we have set ourselves, will be achievable,” he said. Australian efforts were assisted by support from the Trade Commissioner in Paris and his staff and senior officials from departments in Canberra. “They gave added emphasis to what we were telling our potential customers and demonstrated that the whole of Australia was behind our efforts,” Mr Anderson said. He praised particularly the active part played by CSIRO’s Office of Space Science and Administration whose Director Dr Ken McCracken was a featured speaker at the space seminar. COSSA works closely with Australian industry and is an Associate member of AAAI.

Qantas also made a significant contribution to the support of the Australian effort. Their sponsorship helped to reduce administrative costs for smaller Australian companies and drew favourable comments when the new Qantas uniforms were displayed by Qantas staff manning the Australian stand.

Hawker de Havilland, as Australia’s largest aerospace company, also provided additional support which assisted Australia’s smaller companies. “We see this kind of support as part of our obligation to the Australian aerospace industry. As a major Australian company involved in international collaborative projects we want to ensure that work flows to second and third-tier companies within our industry,” Mr Peter Lister, the company’s Corporate Marketing Manager said.

As Chairman of AAAl’s Export Group Mr John Trippett of Trippett Allan and Associates was heavily committed to the success of the Show. “As Systems Engineers we see the great advantages which will come Australia’s way if we collaborate and work together as Australians in this highly competitive world market,” Mr Trippett said.

It was a little surprising to see Westpac, one of Australia’s major banks, as a member of the Australian team at the Show but the explanation makes sense when it is realised that these days a major export sale is seldom achieved unless a competitive financial package is included.

At the time of writing it is too early to assess the results of the Australian efforts at the Show. These may not be evident for months or even years. Marketing of capabilities is a long-term investment but, judging by the favourable impact and reports generated in Paris, Australia’s ten year strategy to increase its aerospace exports ten-fold (in real terms) is well launched.

Aerospace Industry Export Development

AAAI members have been working with Austrade and officials from relevant unions, to develop a strategy to achieve improved export performance by the Australian aerospace industry which is outlined in a major report to the Minister for Industry, Technology and Commerce, Senator Button and the Minister for Trade, Mr Dawkins. The Ministers noted that the report was strongly endorsed by the Aerospace Industry Council (AelC) and the Association of Australian Aerospace Industries (AAAI). They said it is clear the industry needed to develop overseas markets if it is to grow, particularly given the declining level of dependence on domestic defence purchases. The industry’s ratio of exports to output was already above the manufacturing industry average but there was considerable scope for greatly expanded sales abroad.

The report nominates particular export targets for various sectors of the industry which will see exports growing to around $1. 2 billion a year by 1996 from an estimated level of $1 14 million in 1983/84. Key growth areas identified are airframes, military systems, avionics, software, ground electronic systems and space-related activities. Achieving this target will require a concerted effort by all.

An important factor will be the industry’s ability to seek opportunities for increasing exports of non-defence products, including ingeniously designed and developed items. In this regard, the offsets scheme will continue to be an important assistance measure for Australian firms. However, industry will also have to promote exports of defence-related products by taking advantage of research and development within the defence sector and building on the Australian industry’s involvement with local defence purchasing programmes. Cooperation with other countries on defence products will need to be a continuing feature of such a programme.