June 22nd, 2009 by Eric Voyles

The activity at the Rockford booth was greater than I ever imagined!

I really did not know what to expect.  And I certainly never expected the level of interest that we experienced.

Rockford first set its sights on aerospace no more than three years ago when in 2006 the Carter*Burgess (now Jacobs Engineering) targeted industry report came back and identified aerospace manufacturing and R&D industry as a potential industry to target for expansion and attraction.

In 2007 Winnebago County did a more comprehensive study of the immediate cluster of aerospace companies within the Rockford Metro Suburban Area.  This study revealed a rather large concentration of 90 aerospace and aviation companies in the immediate Rockford area.

Companies included those engaged in Power Management and distribution, R&D and prototype development, manufacturing of component parts for a diverse number of sub-assembly’s, logistics, and large amount of maintenance and repair operations.

In 2008 RAEDC began discussions with several of its largest investors in the aerospace industry to determine if developing a cluster strategy would make sense for the region.

It was due to and through these conversations that RAEDC received help from SupplyCore to determine that there was an even larger group than thought. In fact, 130 aerospace suppliers existed in the Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin area.

This aerospace group encouraged RAEDC to attend the Paris Air Show and determine if there was room for Rockford on the global aerospace stage.

I really did not know what to expect.  I never expected to come back with 33 business cards received in conversations at the booth, or in meetings with entities wanting to know more about Rockford.  I never expected the level of interest that we experienced.

I will be presenting our results to key RAEDC volunteers and local aerospace leaders, but I now expect that they will encourage RAEDC to continue our efforts.

I will also expect this will include participation at the Farnborough International Airshow next year from July 19 – 25, 2010 in Farnborough England, asking for DCEO to partner with RAEDC again, working to get more Rockford area companies to attend that air show and then inviting several new leads and prospective clients to come and visit Rockford.

Here is what I found interesting. As I looked around the show I found that the size of our cluster here in greater Rockford region, in total companies, was comparable to several other very well known US locations and several regions in countries that were presenting aerospace for attraction.

WOW!!!  We definitely have something here to crow about in the Rockford region!

I hope that Clinkenbeard and Leading Edge Hydraulics each got what they wanted out of the show.  I believe they did.

I know that while I was in the booth one of Clinkenbeard’s clients came by to introduce himself to Reg Gustafson, Project Manager for Clinkenbeard, and to thank them for quality work on a rebuild of a part for a WWII War Bird. I witnessed another potential client step up and ask about quoting a piece of work.

As I was busy outside in meetings, and in the booth so infrequently, I am sure that other such conversations occurred.

Leading Edge Hydraulics attended the Paris Air Show to research the potential of entering the aerospace market with their products.  My understanding from Russ Dennis, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Leading Edge Hydraulics, is that they came away being favorably impressed as to the potential.

In addition, we were able to publicly announce that Kaney Aerospace was the finalist for a prototype development opportunity for an Australian company, Tigerfish.  We were able to distribute information on Kaney Aerospace to at least one other entity specifically related to their composite capabilities.

Other entities whose information was distributed included: Ingenium, Balanced IT, Emery Air, Chicago Rockford International Airport, Greater Rockford Airport Authority, Northern Illinois University, Rockford College, Rock Valley College, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, and Ingersoll Machine Tool.

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With Thanks to Special Guest Author

Eric Voyles, VP
RAEDC
+1-815-987-8118

http://www.rockfordil.com/

June 16th, 2009 by Mark Ricotta

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2009

Paris – France

Rockford’s Kaney Aerospace is a finalist for the development of a prototype for Tigerfish Aviation’s Retractable Amphibious Pontoon Technology (RAPT) program.

Tigerfish Aviation Pty Ltd (Adelaide, South Australia) is developing a new class of seaplane to meet the increasing demand for water based air transport.  RAPT is a major improvement over the existing technology of the antiquated fixed float aircraft.

The potential scope of the market encompasses smaller civilian, military and regional aircraft and will enable businesses to capitalize on the growing trend to use waterways for future air transport.

Kaney Aerospace (Rockford, Illinois) is collaborating with Tigerfish and the RAEDC (Rockford Area Economic Development Council) to display the RAPT model and promote the Rockford region’s Aerospace capabilities at the Paris Air Show.

The immediate program for Rockford and Kaney Aerospace is to retrofit a RAPT into a RUAG’s re-launched Dornier 228 NG.  Tigerfish will use the prototype to conduct market demonstrations, complete testing and experimental certification, which will lead to the launching of the production program in 2012.

“The Rockford Area is a perfect fit for Tigerfish because of the breadth and depth of aerospace expertise in the region especially in R&D/engineering, prototype development and MRO activity,” says Eric Voyles, VP of National Business Development.

Kaney Aerospace and the Rockford Area Economic Development Council have been actively pursuing aerospace companies like Tigerfish to interact and compliment Rockford’s current aerospace companies such as Hamilton-Sundstrand and Woodward.

CFK Valley Stade, advanced composite specialists from Germany and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), are expected to have a long-term role in the RAPT program.

ABOUT TIGERFISH
Tigerfish Aviation Pty Ltd (Tigerfish) is an aerospace research and development firm dedicated to developing core technology for “Retractable Amphibious Pontoon Technology”, referred to as RAPT.  Tigerfish plans to license the technology to aviation groups to undertake their own development and holistically impress their expertise in associated structural technologies and other transport industries.  Tigerfish has recruited a team of highly motivated professionals, comprising in-depth aerospace experience in engineering, research/development, operations and marketing.  The management team of Tigerfish comprises over fifty years of experience and provides a solid foundation of international, marketable and technical know-how.

To learn more about Tigerfish and their products, please visit www.tigerfishaviation.net.

ABOUT KANEY AEROSPACE
The Kaney Group(TM) is a group of diversified and synergistic companies that include operations in Aerospace, Agriculture, Aviation, Capital Funding, Commercial Real Estate, High Technology and Manufacturing. Its corporate headquarters are located in Rockford, Illinois with holdings in eight states in the USA

ABOUT THE RAEDC
The primary role of the Rockford Area Economic Development Council is to enhance wealth creation in the Rockford Region by marketing the area and helping employers retain and create quality jobs. The RAEDC works closely with many partners to serve as a one-stop resource for clients, to improve the competitiveness of the region and to engage the community in the work of economic development.

ABOUT ROCKFORD’S AEROSPACE CLUSTER
Roughly 90 companies in the immediate Rockford Area make aerospace-related products and have more than 6,000 employees, many engineers.  Rockford has 1.5 times the average number of engineers as the Illinois average.  There are over 130 aerospace companies in the greater Rockford Region making it the largest aerospace community in the state of Illinois and one of the largest and most diversified in the central portion of the United States.  Corporate citizens include: Hamilton-Sundstrand, Woodward, Ingenium, B/E Aerospace, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Parker Hannifin among others.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION

Jeff Kaney, CEO
Kaney Group
+1-815-986-4359                   

Eric Voyles, VP
RAEDC
+1-815-987-8118

Saxon Rudduck, M. Director
Tigerfish
+61 8 8363 1811