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October 2011 Breakfast Meeting - AJAC Mobile Training Unit
PNAA October Breakfast Meeting -
Hitting the Road with AJAC's Mobile Training Unit
AJAC is taking its training on the road, with its new Advanced Inspection and Manufacturing Mobile Training Unit (AIM-MTU) – a 53 foot classroom on wheels will travel across Washington State to employer worksites and community/technical colleges. The AIM-MTU will offer hands-on apprenticeship and technical short-term training to the next generation of advanced manufacturing tradespeople.
At this month’s PNAA breakfast, AJAC will share the many benefits the AIM-MTU can offer companies through on-site visits, such as specialized trainings. Attendees will be taken on a tour of the AIM-MTU, so they can get a first -hand look at the state-of-the-art equipment and technology the AIM-MTU will be using to carry out its training - CAD, CAM and HAAS Simulators, advanced metrology lab, 3-D prototype technology, CMM and more! AJAC will also give attendees an overview of its organization, explaining how its apprenticeship programs offer a method to capture the knowledge and trade secrets of their master tradespeople - providing employers with a highly skilled workforce.
Click here to find out more about the AIM-MTU.
Click here to register
About the Presenter
Laura Hopkins was raised in Japan and came to the U.S. to attend college where she received a degree in Sociology. She went on to get her Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) license and also received her helicopter private pilot’s license. Laura worked in the aerospace industry first as a mechanic then transitioned into a Customer Quality Support representative working primarily with Japanese airlines. During this time, she received her Master’s degree in Applied Behavioral Science and went on to become Dean of the Part 147 Aviation Maintenance program at South Seattle Community College. She later transitioned to Dean of Transportation programs. In September of 2008, Laura began working as Training Director of AJAC and she he is currently the Executive Director.
White House Roundtable Update
PNAA Hosts Meeting with White House and 20 Aerospace CEOs
PNAA hosted a White House Roundtable Meeting with Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce Peter Perez and 20 local aerospace executives on August 16 at the Rainier Club in Seattle. The meeting was part of the White House Business Council’s Winning the Future Roundtables with American Business tour and was an opportunity for the White House to hear from local business leaders about their ideas for how we can grow the economy, and put Americans back to work. It was also an opportunity for the White House to educate business leaders about federal programs and resources available to support their growth and success.
When asked, nearly all the CEOs said they are more optimistic this year than they were last year. In spite of their optimism, there are many issues that keep them up at night – most notably finding skilled workers, slow response times to regulatory processes, and foreign competition.
Click here to read the Snohomish County Business Journal article about this meeting.
Click here to read the thank you letter from Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce Peter Perez.
June 2011 Breakfast Meeting
June Breakfast Meeting
PNAA Executive of the Year
- Art Sauls -
When Art Sauls became general manager at Composite Solutions five years ago, he faced a mountain of obstacles that many GMs would have run from. Employee morale was low. Customers were few and financial credit was non-existent.
At PNAA's June Breakfast Meeting, Mr. Sauls discussed how he worked with his employees and customers to overcome those obstacles and how they turned Composite Solutions into a profitable company that its employees are proud to work for.
Composite Solutions hosted the meeting and provided a brief tour of its facilities afterwards. Click here for more information on Composite Solutions.
Past Breakfast Meeting Topics
A sampling of topics from past PNAA Breakfast Meetings...
Doing Business in China’s Aerospace Industry:
Obstacles and Opportunities
Participants learned about doing business in China. Peter Zieve and Ray Holden from Electroimpact provided a local perspective on doing business in China's aerospace sector. Based on their extensive experience, they shared lessons learned and tips on avoiding problems. John Evans from Tractus Asia will was on hand to provide a brief overview of China’s aerospace sector and Washington State’s efforts to promote the state in that market.
Click here to view Mr. Holden and Mr. Evans' presentations.
A Supplier Database for the Pacific Northwest
Aerospace/Defense Industry – the PNAA/PNDC Alliance
Brice Barrett and Kevin Steck discussed the alliance between PNAA and PNDC and explained how this alliance has already benefited members of both organizations. One of the major upcoming benefits of this alliance, the Connectory, was demonstrated to show how our members can use this new buyer-seller connecting tool to benefit both parties and support the growth of the Pacific Northwest Aerospace and Defense Industries. They provided an on-line demonstration of how effective the tool can be for locating needed product and services within the Pacific Northwest Industry. Participants learned, first hand, how PNAA will help your company be number one in the search for a specific commodity or service.
Click here to view Mr. Barrett and Mr. Steck's presentations.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:
What’s in it For Small Businesses?
The Small Business Administration (SBA) presented a panel discussion about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), in which participants learned about provisions that are relevant and possibly beneficial to the small business community.
Mark Costello of the SBA discussed changes and enhancements to the SBA’s financing programs resulting from the Act. Mike Cvitkovic of the IRS discussed changes in the tax code contained in the Act that are designed to ease the tax burden on small business owners and individuals. Lisa Forrest, a commercial lender from Fortune Bank in Seattle, discussed the benefits of the SBA lending programs from the bank’s perspective, and offered advice for businesses seeking financing while dealing with difficult economic conditions.
Click here to see presentations and materials from this meeting.
Breaking the Customer Chains –
How to innovate AND stay focused on your customer
How many times have we been taught, focus on your customer? Many of the improvement tools we use start with the customer in mind, e.g. process management, kaizen, QFD, Voice of the Customer (VOC), and many more. However, if we only focus on the customer we will miss out on life changing / industry leading innovations.
Chris Lindstrom of Ceptara presented techniques on how to stay focused and deliver for the customer, while creating momentum to help introduce innovative solutions to the customer's new and current markets.
Click here to view Mr. Lindstrom's presentation.
ITAR/EAR: A Panel Discussion on Compliance Solutions
Attorney Akana Ma and FBI Supervisory Special Agent Kevin Koelbel conducted a review of a recent export compliance case that highlighted the importance of adopting a strong export compliant system.
Technofan, Inc's Export Compliance Officer Tracy Zmolik reviewed his recent experience with adopting an export compliance system focused on compliance issues his company faced. Tracy’s review demonstrated how small to mid sized companies can adopt practical solutions to comply with the numerous and sometimes confusing US Export Laws and Regulations.
Click here to view Mr. Ma & Mr. Koelbel's presentations.
New Techniques for Managing MBD/DPD
MBD using 3D source data has become the authority for supply chain interaction. This session presented by Bill Gratzek of Rand North America highlighted some interesting tools that allow rapid development of FAI (First Article Inspection) documentation and showed a solution for validation of translated data between 3D design software.
In addition, a new way of documenting how the MBD/DPD processes are carried out was reviewed. Most of today’s documentation is structured around Boeing’s D6-51991 requirements and is not integrated with the company’s other processes. Fulcrum Associates' John Graham reviewed a process mapping methodology to show how a more intuitive approach to applying the MBD/DPD processes can be achieved through 3D data validation software.
Click here to view Mr. Gratzek & Mr. Graham's presentations.
A Systems Approach to Obtaining FAA ODA
& What the FAA Changes Mean to You
FAA Order 8100-15 and 14 CFR Part 183 Subpart D addresses the formation of ODA organizations. This new FAA delegation - Organizational Delegated Authority – puts more responsibility on the Organization (company) than in the past (when the FAA took more hands on involvement).
If your company does not require ODA but you work with companies that do, you will be impacted by these new regulations. Complying with the FAA Order is complex with many technical and business decision variables which can impact your company’s future business. Tectura's Ken Smith reviewed the specifics of the ODA Order and discussed methods to effectively comply with these regulatory requirements in an efficient and cost effective manner.
Click here to view Mr. Smith's presentation.
AS9101 Draft Review -
How will these changes impact you?
Boeing's Tony Marino reviewed the proposed changes to the AS9101 standard and discussed how these changes will impact aerospace suppliers. The AS9101 standard contains the set of requirements that define what must be done when a supplier quality management system certification audit is conducted. The coordination draft reflects the agreement reached by the IAQG team at their meeting in April and has been prepared for wide distribution and review by all industry stakeholders. Tony conducted the meeting with the intent of collecting recommendations from the audience. These recommendations will be reviewed by the IAQG team in July as possible changes to the standard.
Click here to view Mr. Marino's presentation.