The home of aerospace legends

AMJune18Features - wash1
AMJune18Features - wash1

With over a century of know-how, Washington State aerospace companies play a leading role in the design and manufacture of commercial aircraft worldwide. As the home of Boeing, Washington State Department of Commerce outlines its role in maintaining the State’s leadership.

 

Aerospace is a $70 billion industry in Washington State - America’s largest and most developed aerospace sector – supporting more than 250,000 jobs and accounting for over half of the state’s exports. A dense supercluster of advanced aerospace manufacturing and skilled workers is a key driver of Washington’s innovation economy.

Home to Amazon and Microsoft, Washington ranks number one in aerospace sales, exports, profits and employment, and in the top five for patents per capita, private R&D investment, global manufacturing connectivity and per capital income growth. The aerospace industry here generates more revenue, exports and profits than any other state in the nation.

More than 1,400 aerospace-related companies are engaged in Washington State’s supercluster, which includes a rapidly growing space cluster featuring visionary firms, including Aerojet Rocketdyne, Blue Origin, Planetary Resources, Spaceflight Industries, SpaceX and Vulcan Aerospace. Washington aerospace companies make up a complete nose to tail, design to delivery supply chain serving every major OEM in the world.

For more than a century, Washington State has been at the forefront of innovation in the aerospace industry, designing and building some of the most advanced and successful commercial and military aircraft, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and space exploration vehicles the world has ever seen. Building on that century of know-how, Washington’s aerospace cluster continues to be a dominant force in the aviation and space industry. The state produces nearly 90% of all commercial aircraft in the US and is the number1 exporter of aerospace products – over $50 billion per year. Washington Governor, Jay Inslee and a host of collaborative public-private efforts aim to keep Washington at the top for the next 100 years.

Strengthening the links

When it comes to satisfying OEM supply chain demands, such as innovation, quality, service and on-time delivery, Washington State is supported by a highly-skilled and productive workforce, strategically-located ports for global connectivity, and a superb technology innovation ecosystem. Also key, are low industrial energy prices (Washington’s are the lowest in the US) and an attractive business climate (Washington has no corporate or personal income tax and the fourth lowest tax on durable goods manufacturing in the US).

Highly-skilled workers in Washington State’s aerospace supercluster manufacture nearly 90% of all commercial aircraft in the US, including the new Boeing 737 MAX and 777X

In terms of increasing growth in the development of composite materials and additive manufacturing within the region, technical manufacturing is key to US industry. Boeing chose Everett, WA for its 777 composite wing centre and the world’s largest autoclave. Washington’s composites industry is supported by a high level of engineering talent in the state, low electricity prices and the presence of composite research labs at the University of Washington, Washington State University, Western Washington University and Pacific Northwest National Labs. In addition, the Composite Recycling Technology Centre is a collaborative endeavour focused on R&D and training in converting aircraft carbon fibre prepreg scrap into value-added products such as park benches and sports equipment.

Does the region obtain funding for R&D and re-training to keep pace with changes in manufacturing and production methodologies? Well, Washington State has one of the most effective collections of aerospace workforce training programmes in the world. The state boasts 24 community and technical colleges offering aerospace related training programmes. It is also home to the University of Washington’s William E. Boeing Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Washington State University’s School of Advanced Manufacturing and Aerospace. Washington State has also cultivated a number of innovative public-private partnerships and other aerospace workforce education organisations, such as the Centre of Excellence in Aerospace & Advanced Manufacturing, the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee, and the Joint Centre for Aerospace Technology Innovation.

In helping to find jobs for former Armed Services people with the skills to enter the next phase of their careers within the aerospace manufacturing industry, Washington is considered one of the best places in the country for military personnel to find work after finishing their service to our country. As the sixth most military-populated state in the US, we have a rich talent pool of veterans to draw from. By utilising targeted transition programmes, such as Camo2Commerce, CAMPS, AJAC, and Microsoft Software & Systems Academy, Washington is committed to aiding former service members in a strategic and smooth transition from the military into high demand industry jobs, such as aerospace. Through strong and committed partnerships, Washington State and local aerospace companies work together to find veterans a meaningful next mission after their military service.

Go West young man

Washington State actively courts overseas companies, helping them to consider moving their manufacturing facilities to be near OEMs like Boeing. Overseas companies have even more to gain in these relocation or expansion projects than their domestic counterparts. There are obvious benefits, such as reducing the distance required to conduct commerce. This amounts to decreased time and cost requirements associated with the transportation of products, in addition to an enhanced ability to smoothly and efficiently provide engineering and consulting services. The increased proximity can also result in increased business, and in particular, the winning of additional contracts.

Some say Washington is Boeing’s shopfloor, attracting the likes of numerous other OEMs looking to benefit from the local supplier ecosystem

On the other hand, there are positive aspects to simply locating a business in the US. For example, having an American manufacturing facility can drastically reduce the regulatory burden a company faces when importing their products into the country. It can also sometimes circumvent trade barriers entirely, especially when dealing with certain advanced technologies. These are just a few of the reasons why over 800 international firms have decided to locate operations in the State of Washington.

Washington State is already considered one of the top regions for the commercial space industry and the state is actively working to continue its growth in this burgeoning field. The region has a deep pool of applicable talent that is virtually unmatched anywhere else in the country or the world. This includes 345,000 employees already working directly in the aerospace and defence sector, which is over 20% of the entire American workforce for this industry.

Moreover, due to companies like Microsoft and Amazon, Washington also is one of the top hubs for other tech talent, such as software development and artificial intelligence - fields that are becoming increasingly relevant to the aerospace business. The state is also home to a robust, end-to-end aerospace supply chain that have grown up around Boeing’s regional production centres. This feature has attracted the likes of numerous other OEMs looking to benefit from the local supplier ecosystem.

www.commerce.wa.gov

Company

Boeing

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