German firm PFW chooses Greater Montréal for its North American head office

MONTRÉAL, April 23, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - With the support of Montréal International (MI), German firm PFW will be establishing its North American head office in Greater Montréal. PFW, renowned for its wide range of design, engineering and certification services in the aerospace industry, is expecting to create more than 100 jobs during the next three years. The announcement was made at the 2013 Aeromart Montréal business convention, which was attended by Élaine Zakaïb, Minister for Industrial Policy and the Banque de développement économique du Québec.

PFW has subsidiaries throughout Europe, the United States, Turkey and Asia. It has over 2,200 employees and annual sales of more than €250 million. PFW's customers include Airbus, EADS, Boeing and Lufthansa Technik and the company is currently in discussions with Bombardier Aerospace and Aerolia Canada to further expand their customer base.

"Because Montréal is a world aerospace hub and is experiencing continued growth with major Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) such as Bombardier Aerospace, Bell Helicopter Textron Canada and Pratt & Whitney Canada, PFW feels we have the expertise to provide both engineering and manufacturing support to the Canadian customer base," said Ian Sidsaff, General Manager of PFW Aerospace Canada. "We also plan to further expand our facility by doing work that has been entrusted to us by our existing customers around the world."

Montréal International, whose mandate is to attract foreign direct investments to the Greater Montréal area, supported and advised the company in its project to establish itself in the region. "The fact that PFW has chosen Québec's largest city as its base within the North American market is proof that our aerospace industry has pride of place on the global stage," said Jacques St-Laurent, CEO of Montréal International. "As it grows, the company will be able to count on the support of a highly-qualified workforce and an exceptional network of research centres and companies in the sector."

Québec is world-renowned in the aerospace sector, and Greater Montréal is among the foremost international centres in the industry, along with Seattle and Toulouse. "With more than 42,000 jobs and sales in excess of $12 billion, the province's aerospace sector is home to a complete and competitive supply chain including prime contractors, high-quality equipment manufacturers and integrators and a network of almost 200 world-class SMEs" said Suzanne Benoît, President of Aéro Montréal, Québec's aerospace cluster. In 2012, Québec's aerospace industry ranked sixth in the world in sales volume, after the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan.

About PFW (www.pfw.aero/engineering)
Founded in 1913, PFW offers a wide range of aerospace design, engineering, manufacturing and certification services in all disciplines. Today PFW is the largest tube and ducts manufacturer in aerospace worldwide. Further products are structural components, auxiliary fuel tanks and cargo loading systems. In 2009, PFW acquired 100% of the GCT Group which is known worldwide for its excellence in engineering and holds an EASA design organisation approval for all ATA chapters of an aircraft.

GCT is currently undertaking a renaming to PFW Engineering for all its affiliated companies with a combined total of around 350 engineers. PFW Engineering offers engineering services to all major OEM's such as design / certification for engineering work packages as well as providing specialist manpower solutions at the customers facilities, in order to offer its customers complete lifecycle solutions that include the design, construction and certification of new aircraft programs, such as the Airbus A350XWB and Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

About Montréal International (www.montrealinternational.com)
Created in 1996, Montréal International (MI) is the result of a private-public partnership. Its mission is to contribute to the economic development of Greater Montréal and enhance its international status. Its mandates include attracting foreign direct investments, international organizations and international strategic workers as well as promoting the competitive and international environment of Greater Montréal. Montréal International—a non-profit organization—is funded by the private sector, the governments of Canada and Québec, the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (Montréal Metropolitan Community) and the City of Montréal.

Since its creation, Montréal International has helped to attract $9.4 billion in foreign direct investments to Greater Montréal. From these investments, more than 49,000 jobs have been created or maintained. To date, MI's activities have also allowed almost half of some 60 international organizations to establish themselves in the city and attract and retain more than 8,000 international strategic workers.

SOURCE: Montréal International

Céline Clément, Communications Advisor
Montréal International
Tel.: [phone]
[email protected]

Kay Loewer, Director, Sales and Marketing
PFW Aerospace & PFW Engineering
Tel.: [phone] #261
Cell: [phone]
[email protected]