FAC, Farnborough Aerospace Consortium Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Aerospace Valley of France.
16 July 2008 |
| Sir Donald Spiers, Chairman of FAC and Jean-Marc Thomas President of Aerospace Valley |
Wednesday 16 July - Building on the agreements signed at the last two air shows in Farnborough and Paris, and the work of SEEDA’s (South East England Development Agency) overseas representative in France, FAC today signed a memorandum of understanding with Aerospace Valley based in south west France, one of the leading European clusters in the field of aerospace and embedded systems.
The memorandum, signed by Sir Donald Spiers, Chairman of FAC and Jean-Marc Thomas, President of Aerospace Valley is an agreement which shows the two groups will implement collaborative programmes to improve competitiveness of the European Aerospace Industry including:
- Supply Chain Development
- Technology for future market needs
- Skills and Education for Employers and Employees
The Partners will also:
- Undertake regular meetings to stimulate cooperation. - The partners agreed to set up regular meetings to underpin the collaborative programmes, to facilitate exchanges of information and to identify business opportunities delivering mutual benefits.
- Establish a Joint Steering Board to oversee and guide cooperation. - The partners agree to establish a Steering Board that will include representatives from the partners and from commercial enterprises within the respective regions who are committed to improving and growing Anglo-French business relations.
Signing the contract on behalf of FAC, Ross Bradley Chief Executive said: "Competition in the aviation industry is increasing significantly and from a European point of view, the Euro versus the US Dollar is a major issue affecting the European supply chain.
"Only today we see the Dollar at a record low and consequently the venture between FAC and Aerospace Valley marks the start of finding new solutions in areas such as innovation technology, supply chain development and skills and training. All of these will form a framework in which we will jointly pursue ways to find new levels of efficiency and market differentiation in European aviation supply chain.
"Finally, we are extremely grateful for the support we are receiving for this venture from SEEDA."
Commenting on the agreement, Jeff Alexander, Executive Director for Global Competitiveness, "We have worked very hard over the last two years to reach this point and we are delighted that FAC and Aerospace Valley are marking their close partnership with this MoU. We are very keen to support FAC and its international relations, including this new commitment which will strengthen links with Western Europe, for the mutual benefits of Anglo-French industry and academia."
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