Ivan Rosenberg

National Online Forum webinar on 8-9:00am pacific Wednesday, January 13, 2021

We have entered a new era of great power competition and U.S. A&D businesses must answer a key, existential strategic question that is just as big as sustainability and climate change: should they be involved in China and if so, why, how, and at what risk? This question will not be answered right away – we are only at the beginning of the inquiry; one that will face our industry for a long time. By the end of this decade, the answer could mean everything, as illustrated by the questions that we will suggest be addressed.

Please join us on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 8:00-9:00AM pacific time, when our panelists will raise and uncover some of the questions and topics US A&D companies need to consider when evaluating whether and how to do business with, in, or in competition with China. We’re not going to try and answer them all – there’s way too many and some may be the focus of future webinars. However, we’ll try to describe the lay of the land and identify some of the key issues that you should start thinking about.

The presentations will start with the big picture with Captain (Ret.) Scott Tait (Executive Director, SD Catalyst, and formerly a strategic pol-mil planner on the Joint Staff) discussing the strategic landscape; then Michael Bruno (Senior Business Editor, Aviation Week Network, who has written extensively on the US-China question for A&D companies), will talk about the general business framework, and finally David Conrad (Director Business Development, PTI Technologies, who formerly worked in China and has extensive, practical experience “on the ground”) will address some of the specifics within the aerospace industry.

Included in the questions and topics needed to be addressed, some of which we will discuss, are:
• What do you need to know to have a comprehensive view of China before you get involved?
• What is the US-China competition now, where it is going and what does that mean to US businesses?
• What are the geopolitical considerations and long-term risks that you’re may face as an industry from our national government?
• Is there business for you to have with China? Do they really need your help? Why do you want to be in China? What’s there for you?
• Is there really the business you think there is, or is China moving to become independent and make their own planes? What are the big three China airlines going to do when the C919 comes along? Are they going to take that in preference to an A320 family or the 737Max? Would you be building a new competitor in Comac?
• Do you try to make money with China or do you avoid the market all together?
• If you want to get involved with China, how do you go about doing that? Because for many Western companies China is a total foreign territory, what are all the things you got to understand and realize to do business there?
• How do you make money with China? Who’s going to buy?
• Do you need to set up a local factory and if so how do you do this?
• Do you need to set up a new office and if so, how do you do this?
• How do you deal with issues like cyber protection, IP threats, and WTO disputes?
• China and the West will highly likely form two different economic blocks, increasingly divided by lack of interoperability. How do you deal with standards and interoperability and all those other lower-level things that build to a system?
• What are Airbus and Europe doing regarding China?
• How can you anticipate, plan for, detect, and deal with a failing China?
• With a Biden Presidency, how will things be different and the same as the past?
• What is a hybrid war, do we have this now, what is the status and what could be the future?
• What does China’s End Game, winning, look like to them? What does winning look like to you?

The meeting is free for members and $25 for non-members. For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to https://adfnofjan1320.eventbrite.com.

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org.

This webinar is sponsored by Bolton & Company.

National Online Forum event on Thursday, December 17, 2020

The year 2020 has been especially challenging for A&D. The 737Max grounding and COVID-19 pandemic have created disruptions within the A&D industry unlike any other year. Many have experienced hardships and unexpected transitions. At the same time there have been positive events within private industry. For example, the restart of America’s human launch capability to the ISS after 11 years.

During this past year, the A&D Forum has experienced its own challenges. We transitioned from in-person meetings to events based on Zoom. With that transition, we lost the pre- and post-meeting networking time that we all appreciate. That networking has been a foundational element of the A&D Forum since its inception. In an attempt to re-establish the in-person networking experience we are hosting the A&D Forum’s First Ever Holiday Networking Event on Thursday, December 17, 4:00–5:30pm pacific time

No speaker, just networking in small groups. And to keep it interesting, we’ll do multiple group sessions with Zoom mixing up the groups randomly. Obviously, we still can’t meet in person and no one really knows when we’ll be able to do so, but by using Zoom breakout rooms we can recapture the ability to connect with our colleagues.

Each small group session will last 15 minutes and contain no more than 4 people. We would also like the discussion to be something that lifts people’s spirits since this has been such a challenging year. Please pick one of the following discussion questions for the sessions you’ll be in:
• What good thing happened to me this year that I’m grateful for?
• Is there anything different you did this year that you never would have considered doing before?
• What was the most significant thing you learned this past year?

PLEASE NOTE: this will be an afternoon event, so feel free to bring your favorite “adult beverage” if you so desire, but no smoking please. Our plan is to have up to 3 or 4 small group networking sessions.

This event is open to both members and non-members, no recording, no cost to non-members and we’ll share your contact information if you allow us to do so.

The meeting is free for all. For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to https://adfnofdec20HolidayEvent.eventbrite.com.

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org.

We look forward to seeing you on December 17!

National Online Forum meeting on December 10, 2020

Please join us on Thursday, December 10, 8:00–9:00am pacific time, when Jeff Korzenik, Chief Investment Strategist, Fifth Third Bank, will share his thoughts and economic assessment for COVID and beyond:
• Current state of the U.S. economy: differences and similarities with past downturns
• The impact of monetary and fiscal intervention
• Health risks and unintended consequences
• The impact (or, non-impact) of the election
• The post pandemic economy: disrupted industries, disrupted geographies, and other trends.

The meeting is free for members and $25 for non-members For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to https://adfnofdec20.eventbrite.com.

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org.

This webinar is sponsored by Moss Adams.

National Online Forum meeting on November 18, 2020

The Aerospace and Defense industry is a great example of utilization of 3D Printing, also known as Additive Manufacturing, with a clear value proposition and the ability to create parts that are stronger and lighter than parts made using traditional manufacturing.

Please join us on Wednesday, November 18, 8:00–9:00am pacific time, when Gabriel Suppes (Senior Sales Engineer, Purple Platypus); Paul Walsh (Vice-President, Ascent Aerospace); Matt Sand (President, 3DEO); Ivan Madera (CEO, Morf3d) will share their perspectives on the future of 3D printing for A&D manufacturing.

The meeting is free for members and $25 for non-members For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to https://adfnofnov20.eventbrite.com.

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org.

This webinar is sponsored by Arroyo Insurance Services.

National Online Forum meeting on October 6

It is now clear: shorter supply chains are stronger, more competitive supply chains for the country. This is now clear in healthcare products and becoming clear for defense and other important industries.

Please join us on Tuesday, October 6, 8:00–9:00am pacific time, when Harry Moser, President, Reshoring Initiative, will demonstrate how to convince your customers they will be more profitable buying from you 10 to 20% of products they now import. He will cover tools to help your customers decide and discuss results of numerous studies showing that the tools work. He will describe how one job shop won a $60 million order and will give examples of job shops that helped OEMs reshore.

Primary Take-Aways:

How to identify the companies that import what you make competitively
How to help the customer quantify the costs and risks of offshoring
How to market reshoring
How to convince companies to reshore and buy from you

The meeting is free for members and $25 for non-members For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to https://adfnofoct20.eventbrite.com.

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org.

The webinar is sponsored by Chubb.