Aerospace Defense Forum

By Leave a Comment

Aerospace & Defense M&A Outlook for 2018

Aerospace & Defense M&A Outlook for 2018

AZ Chapter meeting in Phoenix on January 11

Industry 4.0, automation, additive manufacturing, cyber-physical systems, the Internet of things, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and cyber-security are firmly at center stage for the Aerospace and Defense industry. What is the outlook in an era where innovation, increased efficiencies and cost reduction remain paramount?

Join us on January 11, 7:30-9:00am, when John Farr, Managing Director & Partner at Columbia West Capital, will discuss the latest forecasts and engage on projected trends to deliver the latest market intelligence on transformations within the A&D sector. John brings an array of experience and depth of knowledge in many disciplines and multiple industries from extensive deals with large Wall Street firms to hands-on senior management experience with successful mid-sized companies and Fortune 500 Corporations.

A must-attend event for C-Suite Executives, Strategic Planners, Business Development and other management professionals to take a hard look at what 2018 has in store for the industry.

The meeting is free for members ($30 for non-members). Register at adfazjan18.eventbrite.com.

The meeting is free for members and guests ($30 for non-members). For more information and to register to attend the meeting, go to http://adfazjan18.eventbrite.com.

Click here for more information about and to join The Aerospace & Defense Forum.

The Arizona Chapter of The A&D Forum is sponsored by Moss Adams and National Bank of Arizona.

By Leave a Comment

Accenture Digital and Technology Showcase

Accenture Digital and Technology Showcase

DFW Chapter meeting on January 11

One of the highlights of the recent Paris and Farnborough Air Shows was Accenture’s Digital and Technology Showcase.

Please join us on Thur, January 11, 7:30-9:00am when Accenture will bring the showcase to the DFW Aerospace & Defense Forum.

They will share their latest research findings and showcase a set of cutting-edge technologies including wearable technology, blockchain, connected devices and real-time location and tracking solutions.

You will experience the future of aerospace and defense and discover how industry leaders are fully embracing digital technologies as a strategic priority.

The discussion will be led by Joyce Kline, Accenture’s Digital Lead for the North America Aerospace & Defense Practice, and will take place at Accenture’s office in Irving, TX.

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members ($30 for non-members until Jan 4). For more information and to register to attend the meeting, go to http://adfdfwjan18.eventbrite.com.

Click here for more information about and to join The Aerospace & Defense Forum.

The Dallas-Ft. Worth Chapter is sponsored by BellNunnally

By Leave a Comment

“The Evolving State of Federal Contractor Bid Protests”

“The Evolving State of Federal Contractor Bid Protests”

Orange County Chapter meeting on December 7

Bid protests are a critical facet of the federal procurement process and ensure that the government’s procurement decisions are rendered lawfully. Protests ensure that contractors competing for federal contracts are evaluated fairly and in accordance with the solicitation and the FAR. As the budgets of certain federal agencies shrink, the bid protest process becomes an especially important tool for contractors in pursuing or maintaining existing federal work. Bid protests remain equally important for Department of Defense procurements, where spending appears likely to remain strong.

Join us in Irvine on Thursday, December 7, 7:30–9:00am, when Richard Oliver, Partner, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, a leading authority on government contracts and disputes involving the Department of Defense and civilian agencies, will describe recent developments in government contract bid protests, including the impact of the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act and the GAO Civilian Task and Delivery Order Protest Authority Act of 2016, which have greatly impacted the ability of government contractors to pursue bid protests on task order awards.

The meeting is free for members ($40 non-members). Click here to register to attend the meeting

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

The Orange County chapter is sponsored by D.A. Davidson & Co., Moss Adams, Hein & Associates, and Verify.

By Leave a Comment

Tour of Brek Manufacturing Company

Tour of Brek Manufacturing Company

South Bay Chapter Meeting on Dec 13

Please join us on Wed, Dec 13, 8:30-10:00am in Gardena, CA for a tour of Brek Manufacturing Company. The Company, founded in 1968, is a leading manufacturer of large, complex structural components and sub-assemblies for the commercial and military aircraft markets.

The Company was acquired by Aernnova in April 2017.

Brek is a high performing supplier with world class machining capability producing a wide range of aluminum structural components such as bulkheads, floors, frames, ribs, spars, and longerons that are incorporated into virtually every aspect of an aircraft, from the fuselage to the wing tip

The Company is an award winning supplier to the world’s most attractive programs, such as the B737, B777, B787, A-380, F-18, F-15, F-35, V-22, CH-47, and UH-60, through a blue chip list of OEM and Tier I customers such as Boeing, Airbus, Northrop Grumman, SpaceX and Spirit Aerosystems

The tour will cover all areas of manufacturing including machining, assembly and inspection.

The event is free for A&D Forum members and $40 for non-members ($30 Early Bird until Dec 6). For more information and to register to attend go to http://adfsbdec17.eventbrite.com.

Click here for more information about and to join The Aerospace & Defense Forum.

The South Bay Chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum is sponsored by Moss Adams, California United Bank, Community Bank, and California Manufacturing Technology Consulting.

By Leave a Comment

“Starting & Growing a Space Hardware Company”

“Starting & Growing a Space Hardware Company””

Los Angeles Chapter meeting on December 1

LA is home to many of the largest aerospace prime contractors, and a number of smaller aerospace companies are also choosing to set up shop in LA. Phase Four is building a plasma engine, a new type of in-space propulsion, for satellites and has decided to call El Segundo home.

Join us in Los Angeles on Friday, December 1, 7:30–9:00am, when Simon Halpern, the Founder and CEO of Phase Four, will discuss what it’s like to start a space hardware company with only an idea and an Internet connection and build it up into a rapidly growing 18-person company over the last 2 years.

The meeting is free for members & $40 for non-members. For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to http://adflanov17.eventbrite.com.

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

The Los Angeles chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum is sponsored by Moss Adams, Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Mitchell, InVista Associates, and the 62 Mile Club

By Leave a Comment

JW Hill Capital’s Acquisition of Bandy Manufacturing from GKN Aerospace

JW Hill Capital’s Acquisition of Bandy Manufacturing from GKN Aerospace

A Joint Event With ACG San Diego

San Diego Chapter meeting on November 21

Independent Sponsors are a growing class of private equity firms that, unlike traditional firms with committed capital, choose to source capital on a deal-by-deal basis. JW Hill Capital, a Newport Beach-based private equity firm, is an Independent Sponsor that recently completed the acquisition of Burbank, California-based Bandy Manufacturing from GKN Aerospace. This deal, a cross-border divestiture from a major European strategic that went through a competitive auction process, is an example of how Independent Sponsors are successfully executing complex transactions.

Join us in Solana Beach, CA, on Tuesday, Nov 21, 7:00–9:00am, when our panel will examine questions such as: What does the Independent Sponsor trend mean for sellers, investors, and operators? How does an Independent Sponsor transaction differ from other buyers and what does that mean for sellers? How was JW Hill Capital, a relatively new firm, able accomplish this transaction? Do we expect to see more divestitures in the near-term as larger companies reshape their portfolios?

Panelists: John Hill (Managing Partner, JW Hill Capital), Neal Nordstrom (Operating Partner, JW Hill Capital), Paul Weisbrich (Managing Director, DA Davidson), Steve Alexander (General Manager, Bandy Manufacturing) and Moderator Ed Lake(CFO Merlin Global Services & A&D Forum, San Diego Chapter Chair)

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members. Register to attend the meeting go to http://adfsdnov17.eventbrite.com. Non-members register through the ACG website at https://www.acg.org/sandiego/events/acg-san-diego-november-ma-ad.

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

The San Diego chapter is sponsored by Moss Adams, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, LevitZacks, BNY Mellon Wealth Management, and Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton.

By Leave a Comment

“Show Me the Planets! NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration”

“Show Me the Planets! NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration”

San Fernando Valley Chapter meeting on December 12

Our galaxy is not nearly as lonely as we once wondered – and we now know this because astronomers have discovered thousands of planets outside of our solar system over the past 25 years. These planets orbiting other stars are called “exoplanets”, and only in the past few years have we learned just how abundant our galactic neighborhood is: on average there is at least one exoplanet for every star in the sky. More profoundly, discoveries by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope reveal that at least one-in-four stars like our Sun harbor a rocky world in the star’s habitable “goldilocks” zone where temperatures may be just right for life (as we know it) to exist. In the past two years exoplanets have been discovered orbiting nearby stars, including the closest star to Earth. Astronomers, and NASA, are now asking with renewed incentive: what are these worlds like? And are there signs of life on these worlds?

Through the Exoplanet Exploration Program, managed by Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA is developing the technology and designing missions to search for signs of life on words within 100 light-years of the Earth. This ambitious program harnesses the very best talent from our universities, government centers and industry, assembled to answer a question of the ages: are we alone in the universe or members of a greater cosmic community?

Please join us in Sherman Oaks, CA, on Tuesday, December 12, 7:30–9:00am, when Dr. Gary H. Blackwood, Manager, NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology will discuss NASA’s current missions and technology breakthroughs, and how this inspirational quest is already impacting the imagination and interest of the citizens of Earth. Because by exploring a galaxy of worlds we also inspire our own.

The meeting is free for members ($30 for non-members, free for guests for 2 visits). For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to http://adfsfvdec17.eventbrite.com.

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

The San Fernando Valley chapter of The Aerospace & Defense Forum is sponsored by CohnReznick, City National Bank, and InVista Associates.

By Leave a Comment

A Tour of Universal Laser Systems

A Tour of Universal Laser Systems
A Laser Focus to Material Processing in A&D

AZ Chapter meeting and tour in Scottsdale on November 9

The past two years have seen industrial lasers outperform the machine tool sector, with solid single-digit growth in annual revenues. A surge in excimer laser processing of new model smartphone displays, expanding laser additive manufacturing of aircraft engine components, and significant rises in micro processing using ultrafast-pulse are major examples of growth segments. Industrial lasers are key components in automated material processing systems. As the manufacturing sector turns more toward Industry 4.0 and the IoT, shifting from centralized to decentralized manufacturing, production methods need to automatically adjust to fluctuating supply chain demands. State-of-the-art processing equipment, controlled by sensors and computers on the Internet, are now being implemented, and lasers, by their very nature, will likely be the adaptable energy source of choice.

Join us in Scottsdale on Thursday November 9 for a presentation and tour of Universal Laser Systems, Inc. who is leading the charge with a solely owned, custom-built, state-of-the-art engineering and manufacturing facility in Scottsdale where they manufacture both lasers and laser systems. Following the presentation, Universal will provide a tour of their laser system manufacturing floor as well as a series of laser material processing demonstrations.

The meeting is free for members and guests ($30 Early Bird for non-members, $40 after November 2). For more information and to register to attend the meeting, go to http://adfaznov17.eventbrite.com.

Click here for more information about and to join The Aerospace & Defense Forum.

The Arizona Chapter of The A&D Forum is sponsored by Moss Adams and National Bank of Arizona.

By Leave a Comment

Tour of Southwest Airlines Network Operations Center

Tour of Southwest Airlines Network Operations Center

DFW Chapter meeting on November 9

Please join us on Thur, November 9, 1:30-2:30pm for a tour of Southwest Airlines’ $30 million, 50,000 square foot network operations center where more than 230 flight dispatchers work alongside crew operations and customer service coordinators to resolve issues in real time.

The meeting is free for A&D Forum members ($30 for non-members until November 2). For more information and to register to attend the meeting, go to http://adfdfwnov17.eventbrite.com.Registration closes at 12 midnite, Monday, Nov 8.

Click here for more information about and to join The Aerospace & Defense Forum.

The Dallas-Ft. Worth Chapter is sponsored by BellNunnally and the University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute (UTARI).