Assessing the Maturity Level of Obsolescence Management in the Quebec Aerospace Industry

Despite being a significant element of Quebecs industrial economy, employing tens of thousands of personnel, very little is known for certain about the state of obsolescence management in Quebecs aerospace industry amongst academic circles. For the last decade, it has been assumed that the same challenges and shortcomings that apply to the American aerospace industry, which are well documented, applied to Quebec as well. With the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Quebec pushing for the adoption of novel technologies such as electrically powered aircraft, a critical point has been reached where the actual weaknesses and strengths of the aerospace industry in this domain must be assessed in order to prepare for the upcoming transitions. While at the time of writing this report, research is still ongoing, the information uncovered up to this point serves as a valuable peek under the hood and indicates paints a complex and troubling picture. While certain sectors demonstrate a surprising degree of strategic and forward-thinking practices, initial findings have revealed that others still operate on a primarily reactive basis, largely as a result of the sheer complexity of their supply chains.