Vanguard Magazine

S SPOTLIGHT 36 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2017 www.vanguardcanada.com DeFseC AtlAntiC 2017 by Marcello Sukhdeo A platform to collaborate with businesses in Atlantic Canada I n what started out in 1996, as one of the productions of the Nova Sco- tia International Air Show Associa- tion (NSIASA), DEFSEC Atlantic has grown to become the second largest de- fence event in Canada. On September 5-7 of this year, the as- sociation held its 12th DEFSEC Atlantic show in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Over the years, this event has provided the platform for the Aerospace, Defence and Security industries to collaborate with businesses in Atlantic Canada. "While the majority of the industries in Atlantic Canada are small to medium- sized enterprises (SME), exports accounts for a significant proportion of the industry revenues and play an integral role in the growth of our aerospace and defence in- dustries," said Rich Billard, President and CEO of the Atlantic Canada Aerospace and Defence Association (ACADA). ACADA, which was established last year, is an amalgamation of the four-former pro- vincial aerospace and defence associations (ADIANS, ADIANL, ADPEI and NBA- DA) and their members. The formation of this new association "is an important step in ensuring the regional voice of the in- dustry is strong," said Colin Stephenson, Executive Director of DEFSEC Atlantic. DEFSEC Atlantic, designed to function as both a trade show and a defence pro- curement conference, brought together over 70 exhibitors and hundreds of at- tendees to get a sense of the opportuni- ties that are available in the region. Ma- jor defence companies like BAE Systems Canada, CAE, DRS Technologies, Irving Shipbuilding, L3 Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Naval Group, Navantia, Seaspan Shipyards and Thales were among the ex- hibitors. Through B2B programs, social events and expert panel discussions, at- tendees were able to network and meet with industry and government participants to further business relations. "Over a 1000 attendees once again came together to explore partnership potential in Atlantic Canada. We had almost every province represented and welcomed visitors from 12 other nations," said Stephenson. Shipbuilding plays an integral part in At- lantic Canada, but beyond shipbuilding, Stephenson said that DEFSEC attend- ees explored opportunities in the aircraft maintenance, software support develop- ment and training and simulation fields. Over the three days, a dozen different seminars and presentations took place that featured key outlooks for both the DND procurement programs and the future of ACADA. Throughout the week that the event was held, a few companies used the opportu- nity to make special announcements. Seaspan's third annual Atlantic Canada Industry Day On September 5, over 100 attendees rep- resenting more than 80 companies, partic- ipated in Seaspan Shipyards' third annual Atlantic Canada Industry Day in Halifax. Participants were given an update on Sea- span's progress on its National Shipbuild- ing Strategy (NSS) Non-Combat package of vessels and supply chain opportunities. Seaspan was awarded the Non-Com- bat contract for vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy in October 2011. The package includes building three Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels (OFSVs), one Offshore Oceano- graphic Science Vessel (OOSV), two Joint Support Ships (JSS), one Polar Icebreak- er (PIB), up to five Medium Endurance Multi-tasked Vessels (MEMTVs), and up to five Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs). The shipbuilding company is planning to spend millions this year with Canadian suppliers and has committed to spend more than $500 million across its supply chain for NSS. Federal Fleet Services announces new sub-centre Federal Fleet Services, which is part of the Inocea Group of Companies that also owns Davie Shipbuilding, announced that it will be opening a major operations sub- centre in Halifax later this fall. This new centre will manage the first Resolve-Class Naval Support Ship which is being built at Davie Shipyards in Quebec. According to the announcement, Cana- da's next naval support ship "will initially homeport from CFB Halifax by the end of this year where it will be used to ensure

• Cover