ADIC secures 20-year partnership agreement with Bombardier

Taipei, Sept. 7 (CNA) Taiwan aircraft maker Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (ADIC) announced Monday that it has secured a 20-year partnership agreement with Canada-based Bombardier.

ADIC said the two companies held a ceremony in Taipei Monday to exchange signed copies of the agreement, formally launching the 20-year partnership under which the Taiwanese company will supply cockpit and forward fuselage structural components for Bombardier's super-midsize Challenger 3500 business jets.

According to ADIC, the agreement represents a new milestone in cooperation between the two companies, which dates back to 1999, with the Taiwanese supplier having provided rear fuselage structural components for more than 1,000 Challenger 3500 aircraft.

ADIC said the forward fuselage structural components for the Challenger 3500 require a high level of technical expertise. Bombardier completed a review of the Taiwanese supplier's production capabilities in April, according to ADIC.

ADIC added that the agreement represents the most significant development to date for the company's civil aviation business.

Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫), who witnessed the exchange, said ADIC's supply of fuselage structural components to international clients, including Bombardier, demonstrated international confidence in "Made in Taiwan" products.

Kung said ADIC has demonstrated its ability to produce fuselage structural components, and that by expanding its technological capabilities to include forward fuselage structures and securing the long-term agreement with Bombardier, Taiwan has become one of the few countries capable of supplying fuselage structural components for large and medium-sized aircraft.

Kung added that amid restructuring of the global aerospace supply chain, many international aircraft makers are seeking partners, and ADIC has demonstrated its capabilities as a resilient supplier.

He said that given the substantial value of the Bombardier orders, ADIC is expected to enlist other Taiwanese suppliers to help fulfill the orders, adding that the agreement is expected to benefit Taiwan's entire aerospace supply chain.

According to ADIC, the forward fuselage is the most technically demanding section of the airframe because of its complex shape and the need to meet cabin pressure and airtightness requirements, as well as its integration of the cockpit structure, passenger doors, and numerous system interfaces.

ADIC said that only around five suppliers worldwide have this capability.

ADIC added that it expects to deliver structural components for at least 500 Challenger 3500 fuselages to Bombardier over the 20-year term of the agreement.

In response, Eric Filion, Bombardier's executive vice president for programs and supply chain, said ADIC has served as a critical supplier to the company for many years and that trust is the most important key to the cooperation.

Filion said the latest agreement with ADIC reflects the long-standing and stable relationship between the two companies, adding that Bombardier will continue to cooperate with qualified suppliers worldwide to meet customer expectations for quality, performance and reliability.