Aerospace Industries Association
contact us  |  search  |  sitemap  |  member login  |  our members  |  aerospace jobs

AIA Update


   » Read 2008 Newsletters








THE SUPPLIERS' VOICE: June/July 2006, Volume 6, No. 6 Members Rate SMC Spring Meeting a Smashing Success
By Bill Lewandowski, AIA Vice President, Supplier Management

Photo: Representatives of AIA associate member companies blitz Capitol Hill on problems stemming from the Berry Amendment during the Supplier Management Council spring meeting in April. Pictured (clockwise from bottom right) are Brian North, legislative assistant to Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.); Derek Baggerly of ESIS, Inc.; Fred Gravel of Electronic/ Fasteners, Inc.; Brian Fakler of Allen Aircraft Products; Rusty Roberts, Mica’s chief of staff; Doreen Remmen of NYF Corp.; and Wayne Mason of Electronic/Fasteners, Inc.
Representatives of AIA associate member companies blitz Capitol Hill on problems stemming from the Berry Amendment during the Supplier Management Council spring meeting in April. Pictured (clockwise from bottom right) are Brian North, legislative assistant to Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.); Derek Baggerly of ESIS, Inc.; Fred Gravel of Electronic/ Fasteners, Inc.; Brian Fakler of Allen Aircraft Products; Rusty Roberts, Mica’s chief of staff; Doreen Remmen of NYF Corp.; and Wayne Mason of Electronic/Fasteners, Inc.
The SMC Spring Meeting held in April in Washington, D.C., was an overwhelming success, according to our post-meeting survey.

That meeting is typically centered on core legislative issues affecting our member companies, in this case the adverse impacts of harsh enforcement of the Berry Amendment and enactment of legislation that would allow trade associations to offer health care plans for small businesses.

Other priorities addressed were supplier issues identified at the fall SMC meeting in Hilton Head. Specifically, panels on the accuracy and currency of supplier rating systems and the integration of supply chain management organizations among divisions in corporate hierarchical structures fulfilled the express need of associate members to discuss and be educated in these areas.

Additionally, presentations by David Scruggs, senior fellow for the Center for Strategic & International Studies, Joe Anselmo, business editor for Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine, and Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis for the Teal Group, gave insights into current issues and opportunities as well as the future direction and expectations of the aerospace and defense industry.

On the final day of the meetings, members lobbied their congressional representatives on the Berry Amendment and small business health care initiatives. That evening guest speaker John Podesta, president and CEO of The Center for American Progress and former chief of staff to President Clinton, impressed the audience with his talk on the need for bipartisanship in this country.

Presentations from this and other meetings are on the members only section of AIA's Web site.



Supplier Issues Given Visibility in National Trade Magazine
Joe Anselmo, business editor for Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine, did a roundtable interview with AIA associate members that appeared in the May 29 issue of the publication.

Participating were Joe Murphy, chairman of Ferco Tech Corporation, Bob Sprole, president of Therm Inc., Hugh Quigley, president of Dynabil Industries, Peter Rettaliata, president of Air Industries Machining Corporation, and Doreen Remmen, vice president and CFO of NYF Corporation.

Topics covered included:
  • The effect on the supply base of the Berry Amendment on specialty metals.
  • The biggest challenges being faced today.
  • The optimum business split between defense and civil aviation.
  • The effect on competition and business by the International Trade in Arms Regulations and off-shoring to China and India.
  • The necessity of being "lean."
  • The evolution of the path to business for suppliers.
  • The need for suppliers to grow. Plymouth Wins Preferred Supplier Award
Photo: Supplier Issues Given Visibility in National Trade Magazine Joe Anselmo, business editor of Aviation Week and Space Technology Magazine, listens as Peter Retalliata of Air Industries Machining Corp. makes a point during a round table discussion with Supplier Management Council members in April. Looking on are, from left, Robert Sprole of Therm Inc., Hugh Quigley of DynaBil Industries, and Doreen Remmen of NYF Corp.




Trade Mission to India Could Open Doors for Suppliers
The Supplier Management Council is in the early planning stages of a late November 2006 aerospace trade mission to India to meet with Indian government and defense officials about aerospace and defense opportunities and with key primes and suppliers as well.

India is one of the largest and fastest growing aerospace and defense markets in the world.

Suppliers with capabilities on the following programs are encouraged to attend: E-2C, C-130, P-3, T-45, F-16, F-18, and radar systems. The mission will be briefed at the Farnborough Air Show in July.

Those interested in being a part of this first-ever trade mission should contact varun.nikore@aia-aerospace.org.

Further details will be sent out in the coming weeks.



Douglass: Industrial Base Needs Core Capabilities
The United States needs to preserve core manufacturing capabilities to have a strong industrial base, AIA President and CEO John Douglass said during a recent industry, labor, and government roundtable discussion.

Hosted by International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers President Tom Buffenbarger in May, the agenda was designed to bring industry, labor, and government together to reach consensus on narrowing America's tooling and workforce skills gap.

Identifying common concerns between small manufacturers and the union, Douglass said that labor and industry need flexibility to move resources around in order to meet a production surge and that the implementation of lean has made the industrial base more fragile.



Mark Your Calendars
2006 Associate Member/SMC Events
  • Summer 2006 SMC Meeting
    Aug. 15-18, Seattle, Wash.

  • West Coast Regional Meeting
    Sept. 27-28, Irvine, Calif.

  • Fall 2006 SMC Meeting
    Oct. 24-26, Cocoa Beach, Fla.
For more information, contact Trish Ward at trish.ward@aia-aerospace.org or Peggy Boyd at peggy.boyd@aia-aerospace.org.



SMC Welcomes Newest Associate Members
    Manistar Electronics, Inc.
    TFD Group
    Angkor Machining Manufacturing
Established in 1997, the Supplier Management Council has become the primary industry forum for improving the relationship between suppliers and customers.

As of June 1, 2006, AIA has 106 regular member and 172 associate member companies.

Copyright © 2008 Aerospace Industries Association. All rights reserved.          Terms and Conditions    Privacy Policy