A French leader in additive manufacturing for the aerospace sector - FusiA sets up shop in Greater Montréal

FARNBOROUGH, England, July 16, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - The French company FusiA has chosen the Greater Montréal region to develop its international activities. A specialist in producing metal parts by laser fusion, FusiA plans to invest about $4 million, creating 15 jobs over three years. The announcement was made at the Farnborough International Airshow, by the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Québec, Christine Chanal, CEO of FusiA, and Dominique Anglade, President and CEO of Montréal International, all in attendance.

"I welcome the establishment of the French company FusiA in the Greater Montréal area, one of the world's major aerospace hubs," said the Hon. Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Québec. "Our Canadian and Québec aerospace companies have levels of know-how and highly skilled workforces that enable them to compete with the best. I also salute Montréal International, a long-time partner of Canada Economic Development, which has spared no effort in getting this international company to come to Québec."

FusiA is the innovation-oriented subsidiary of Estève, a true pioneer in laser fusion with over 40 years' experience producing precision parts for aeronautics, space flight and defence.

"We are well established in the Toulouse area, and we serve major industry players such as Airbus, Safran and Thales," stated Ms. Chanal. "Choosing Montréal was logical, since it is one of the world's top aeronautics hubs. We have developed a unique technology that produces complex steel and aluminum parts in record time, and we are convinced that Québec has great growth potential for us."

Ms. Chanal added: "To design its products, FusiA uses laser-fusion 3D printing. The part is designed by adding successive layers of metal particles, and the final result is as strong as a machined part. There are no chips or cutting, and the choice of shapes is limited only by the imagination and by computer-aided-design models."

Greater Montréal: a global reference
In getting established, FusiA benefited from the counsel of Montréal International and the Québec Ministry of the Economy, Innovation and Exports. The company has also developed close ties with the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Québec (CRIAQ) and École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) for evaluating parts and adapting them to the technological environment of Québec aerospace companies.

"FusiA's presence in Greater Montréal will contribute to the industry's competitiveness in a technological niche of the future," said Ms. Anglade. "This highly innovative company can count on a skilled workforce and a unique network of research centres and companies in the sector to support it in its development."

Greater Montréal is a world reference in aerospace, among the top international centres alongside Seattle and Toulouse. The Québec industry ranks fifth worldwide as the number of jobs behind the United States, France, United Kingdom and Germany. With more than 43,500 jobs and sales exceeding $12 billion, the aerospace sector brings together prime contractors, leading equipment manufacturers and a network of nearly 190 small and medium-sized enterprises.

About FusiA (www.fusia.fr)
Toulouse-based Estève created FusiA in 2011 to develop technology for producing parts by laser fusion using metal powders (additive layer manufacturing). Specializing in turning and milling parts, the company can react more quickly and produce models in a much shorter time than with regular technology. For the aeronautics, space-flight and defence sector, FusiA produces prototype, pre-batch and 3D-printing batch prototype parts, most of them flight-certified.

About Montréal International (www.montrealinternational.com)
Created in 1996, Montréal International is the result of a private-public partnership. Its mission is to act as an economic driver for Greater Montréal to attract foreign wealth while accelerating the success of its partners and clients. 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 attract $10.6 billion in foreign direct investments to Greater Montréal. And these investments have contributed to creating or maintaining close to 52,000 jobs. To date, Montréal International has also supported almost half of the city's 60 international organizations in setting up their operations in the area, while helping attract and retain more than 9,000 highly skilled foreign workers.

 

SOURCE: Montréal International

For further information: Céline Clément, Public Relations Director, Montréal International, Tel.: [phone], [email protected]