Meeting Notices - Orange County

Tour of GE Aviation, Flight Test Operation, Victorville, CA

Orange County Chapter meeting on November 5

Please join us on Thursday, November 5, 2015, 9:00am – 11:00am PDT for a tour of GE Aviation’s flying test bed located in Victorville, California featuring a modified 747-400. The 747 flying test bed is used for testing next generation jet engines, including the LEAP engine. On the tour, visitors will spend approximately one hour touring the facility, including a chance to view the aircraft’s interior, cockpit, data system and instrumentation, engines and load bank area. Visitors will get an opportunity to see some of the modifications made to transform the 747 into an operational flying test bed.

This event is limited to 40 US citizens on first-come basis. A waitlist will be maintained.

The event is free for A&D Forum members (exclusive access until October 20) and $35 for non-members (who may register after October 20). Click here to register to attend the event.

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

The Orange County chapter was founded by Frontier Associates and D.A. Davidson & Co., and is sponsored by Burdge Logistics, Moss Adams, Hein & Associates, and UK Trade & Investment.

“Building Enterprise Value in Mid-Market Firms”

Orange County Chapter meeting on October 1
(live webstream available)

In recent years, the aerospace markets for both commercial and military products have been rapidly changing and are becoming more and more competitive. In this hyper competitive environment, properly entering/exiting the market has become even more complex.

Please join us in Irvine on Thursday, October 1, 2015, 7:30am – 9:00am PDT (networking at 7:00am), when David Schmidt, CEO of a middle-market A&D company, will outline a plan for building enterprise value and investment strategies for growing middle market companies. In the current atmosphere, Strategic Leaders, Mid-Market Competitors, and Private Equity Investors share similar challenges in building Enterprise Value. Limits on growth include access to capital, capacity constraints, staffing, retention of skills, and collective bargaining units. The key to successfully building enterprise value and managing growth is to construct and follow a well-defined Investment Thesis that outlines year-to-year goals & expectations. David Schmidt will share investment strategies and planning for Mid-Market Firms.

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members ($30 Early Bird until September 24). You may also attend via the web for free. Click here to register to attend the meeting

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

The Orange County chapter was founded by Frontier Associates and D.A. Davidson & Co., and is sponsored by Burdge Logistics, Moss Adams, Hein & Associates, and UK Trade & Investment.

“An Update on the SoCal A&D Supply Chain”

Orange County Chapter meeting on September 3
(live webstream available)

The Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) initiative was established by the federal government to reinvent how economic development is done in manufacturing through strategic investments to strengthen the capacity of the industrial ecosystem. 86 organizations from industry, academia, government, and economic and workforce development partnered across the four counties of Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and Ventura to create a collaborative, the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership for Southern California (AMP SoCal) – one of only twelve federally-designated “Manufacturing Communities” – focused on aerospace and defense.

In addition to AMP SoCal approved projects receiving additional “points” for federal grants, the region has benefited from the focused collaboration of the many organizations addressing aerospace & defense.

Please join us in Irvine on Thursday, September 3, 2015, 7:30am – 9:00am PDT (networking at 7:00am), when Jim Watson, CEO of California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC) and head of the AMP SoCal Supplier Networks Committee, will provide an update on the Southern California A&D Supply Chain including: a SWOT analysis, supplier gaps and initial results from supplier focus groups. The approach the committee will use to engage A&D suppliers will also be discussed.

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members ($30 Early Bird until August 27). You may also attend via the web for free. Click here to register to attend the meeting

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

The Orange County chapter was founded by Frontier Associates and D.A. Davidson & Co., and is sponsored by Burdge Logistics, Moss Adams, Hein & Associates, and UK Trade & Investment.

“Doing Business with Chinese Aerospace Companies”

Orange County Chapter meeting on August 6
(live webstream available)

China is rapidly becoming the world’s largest economy, with well-defined goals of matching and besting the US in many areas, including aerospace. The larger aerospace companies clearly have strategies for participating in this growth.

As a member of the supply chain, should you also have a China strategy? If you don’t have one, are you in danger of being left behind in the near or mid-term future?

What are alternative strategies, and, once having developed one, how do you roll it out?

How does a US firm actually work with leading Chinese OEM’s like AVIC or COMAC? To get important market access, when does one need a JV? What are the challenges and pitfalls of an Chinese JV?

Please join us in Irvine on Thursday, August 6, 2015, 7:30am – 9:00am PDT (networking at 7:00am), when subject matter expert Dr. Pui Ho, General Manager, Asia Pacific Aerospace Region, Parker Aerospace, addresses these topics and more.

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members ($30 Early Bird until July 30). Click here to register to attend the meeting

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

The Orange County chapter was founded by Frontier Associates and D.A. Davidson & Co., and is sponsored by Burdge Logistics, Moss Adams, Hein & Associates, and UK Trade & Investment.

“Radically Reducing the Cost of Assembled Products”

Orange County Chapter meeting on June 4
(live webstream available)

For over twenty years, Aerojet Rocketdyne has endeavored to change the fundamental way of thinking about product design and production in our industry. When combined with other techniques such as Design to Cost and Advanced Manufacturing, a new integrated design capability emerges that promises to produce simplified, more rapidly developed, affordable products.

Please join us in Irvine on Thursday, June 4, 2015, 7:30am – 9:00am PDT (networking at 7:00am), when Art Weiss, Executive Director, Executive Director, Advanced Concepts, Rocket Shop, Aerojet Rocketdyne, will present a new way of thinking about systems and design that can have a dramatic impact on the costs, delivery time, and reliability of your products.

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members ($30 Early Bird until May 28. You may also attend via the web for free. Click here to register to attend the meeting

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

The Orange County chapter was founded by Frontier Associates and D.A. Davidson & Co., and is sponsored by Burdge Logistics, Moss Adams, Hein & Associates, and UK Trade & Investment.

“An Unmanned Future: Challenges, Risks and Opportunities”
Orange County Chapter meeting on February 5

In the future, unmanned aircraft systems will help monitor our borders, deliver packages to our homes, improve the productivity of farms, help find missing hikers, lost children and escaped criminals, provide Internet access for people in remote locations and generate high-resolution 3-D models of critical infrastructure. Yet significant challenges to the growth of this industry exist, making investment decisions difficult to time.

Please join us in Irvine, CA on Thursday, February 5, 2015 (networking at 7:00am, meeting 7:30– 9:00am PST), when Steven Gitlin, Vice President, Marketing Strategy, Communications & Investor Relations, AeroVironment, Inc., will address such questions as: What will this market require? What could jeopardize its growth? What opportunities will this market create?

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members ($30 Early Bird until January 29). You may also attend via the web for free. Click here to register to attend the meeting

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

The Orange County chapter was founded by Frontier Associates and D.A. Davidson & Co., and is sponsored by Burdge Logistics, Moss Adams, Hein & Associates, Value Based Project Management, and UK Trade & Investment.