NH Enterprise: New Hampshire's Aerospace Trade – WMUR Manchester

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WELCOME TO JUST BUSINESS. I’M BROKE OVER. UNLESS YOU’RE IN THE AIRPLANE BUSINESS, YOU MAY NOT BE AWARE OF AN UNDER THE RADAR PART OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE ECONOMY. 300 PLUS COMPANIES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE ARE IN THE AEROSPACE BUSINESS. AND I WAS SURPRISED BY THAT. AND ACCORDING TO SOME NUMBERS, WE GOT, THEY’RE DOING PRETTY WELL. 630 MILLION AIRCRAFT AND AIRCRAFT PARTS EXPORT SALES FROM JANUARY TO JULY THIS YEAR, 15% INCREASE FROM THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR. 4.3% OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE ECONOMY. 24,006 AND 81 ARE EMPLOYED. AND THEY’RE DOING WELL. DESPITE THESE CHALLENGES, WHICH WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT. SUPPLY CHAIN CHANGES, CYBER SECURITY, MAINTENANCE AND MODERNIZATION OF AIRCRAFT. NOW, HERE ARE A FEW OF THE COMPANIES THAT ARE SCATTERED ACROSS THE STATE THAT ARE IN THIS BUSINESS. I’LL GO DOWN THE LIST QUICKLY. SAFRAN SMG MARMON, ERIC’S TIMKEN FLIGHT FLEX. YOU CAN SEE THE COMMUNITIES THEY’RE LOCATED IN CHINA AEROSPACE AND VA SYSTEMS, OF COURSE, AND GE AVIATION, WHICH WE KNOW MORE ABOUT NOW, WANTS ME TO BRIEF US ON HOW SO MANY NEW HAMPSHIRE COMPANIES GOT INTO THIS BUSINESS OF AEROSPACE. WHEN WE’RE NOT AT CAPE CANAVERAL OR HOUSTON OR CONNECTICUT, IS RANDY LUCKEY, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER OF COMSTOCK INDUSTRIES, AND MEREDITH AND BILL BASS, WHO IS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE EXPORT CONSORTIUM BASED IN CONCORD. WELCOME. THANK YOU, BRAD. BILL, HOW DID NEW HAMPSHIRE BECOME AN AEROSPACE STATE? NEW HAMPSHIRE AND EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS HAVE BEEN CONNECTED ECONOMICALLY FOR QUITE SOME TIME IN THE INDUSTRY AND THERE’S A LOT OF DEFENSE WORK THAT HAPPENS IN MASSACHUSETTS. YOU SAID AND HAS BEEN FOR MANY DECADES. AND THE UNIVERSITIES ONLY FEEDS MORE AND MORE TALENT IN EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS BECAUSE OF IT. AND LOGICALLY, THERE’S BEEN A SPILLOVER EFFECT AND AND ALSO BECAUSE OF THE BUSINESS HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, A LOT OF COMPANIES HAVE CHOSEN TO MOVE AND TO START THEIR BUSINESSES. IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. SO IT’S A SPILLOVER EFFECT A LITTLE BIT TO WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE ECONOMY, IN THE REGION. YEAH. AND RETI WHAT IS YOUR YOUR COMPANY SAID MEREDITH WHAT DO YOU MAKE FOR THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY AND AND WHAT OTHER PRODUCTS ARE COMING OUT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FOR AEROSPACE? WELL, WE’VE BECOME LIKE INDUSTRIES AS A PRECISION PARTS MANUFACTURER. SO WE MAKE INDIVIDUAL PARTS BASED ON WHAT’S SPECIFIED OR REQUIRED BY THE PRIME MANUFACTURERS, OEMS AS THEY ARE IN TERMS OF WHAT’S COMING OUT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. IT RUNS THE GAMUT OF WHAT’S NEEDED IN THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY. SOME OF IT IS MORE MILITARY AND DEFENSE RELATED. SOME OF IT’S MORE COMMERCIAL RELATED. IT REALLY DEPENDS ON WHAT’S CALLED FOR NEEDED IN THE INDUSTRY AND WHAT MAKES SENSE GEOGRAPHICALLY AS FAR AS WHERE WE’RE LOCATED AND WHERE THESE THINGS ARE SHIPPING AND YOU HAVE A GOOD CONTRACT, I UNDERSTAND IN CANADA AND FARNSWORTH AIR SHOW OVER IN GREAT BRITAIN AND THOSE ARE OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL I THINK FOR YOU AND THE OTHER COMPANIES, THEY ARE TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY IS. BUT THAT DOESN’T JUST HAPPEN. THE REASON FOR THAT, OF COURSE, IS ONE OF THE REASONS WE’RE HERE TODAY, WHICH IS NATICK, THE NEW HAMPSHIRE AEROSPACE DEFENSE EXPORT CONSORTIUM, WITHOUT THE HELP OF THAT GROUP, AND THE GUIDANCE OF BILL BATES, OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. THESE ARE PLACES THAT ARE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO BECOME A PART OF OR TO GET INTO ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT ARE ON THE HORIZON AS MUCH AS ELECTRIC CARS. IS THAT SOMETHING YOU ARE TALK ABOUT? SO IF ALL ARE ELECTRIC AIR VEHICLES ARE THE TALK IS ON THE RISE. AND IN FACT, SOME OF OUR MEMBERS HAVE ALREADY TAKEN AN INVESTMENT STAKE IN INDUSTRY. AND THERE’S MANY OTHERS THAT OUR MEMBERS DO BUSINESS WITH WHO ARE ALSO TAKING TAKING INVESTMENTS OR MAYBE ALREADY SUPPLIERS. VERY QUICKLY, RANDY, WHAT’S THE OUTLOOK FOR THIS AEROSPACE BUSINESS RIGHT NOW GIVEN THE PANDEMIC AND ITS IMPACT ON IT? HOW IS IT DOING RIGHT NOW? THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY IS STRONG. IT COULD BE A HECK OF A LOT STRONGER IF WE COULD FIND ENOUGH PEOPLE TO HELP US CONTINUE OUR MANUFACTURE. SO THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE THAT WE FACE RIGHT NOW, IT’S NOT A MATTER OF DEMAND. IT IS CERTAINLY IN THE MILITARY DEFENSE SIDE OF THINGS. ON THE COMMERCIAL SIDE, WE’RE NOT REALLY INVOLVED IN IT. I KNOW THAT THERE’S STILL STRUGGLING A BIT, BUT WE COULD BE DOING A LOT MORE HERE IN THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE IF WE HAD THE EMPLOYEES. MY THANKS TO RANDY MCKEE, CEO OF JEFF CRUM, STARK INDUSTRIES AND MEREDITH AND BILL BATES, WHO IS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE EXPORT CONSORTIUM IN CONCORD. THANK YOU, GUYS. AND IS THE BEST PART OF THIS BRIEFING, YOU CAN GO TO WMUR DOT COM WHERE IT’