Quality Engineering Career News by UQSI

Tom Breckenridge
Plain Dealer Reporter

The region’s aerospace supply chain is an under-recognized but important driver of the region’s economy, a business-attraction group says.

Team NEO is spotlighting the multibillion-dollar aerospace sector in its latest quarterly review. The reviews aim to detail positive aspects of our struggling economy, as a tool to draw new business to the area.

Team NEO reports today that industries whose business includes supplying parts and components to the aerospace industry grew 59 percent in the last 16 years. That’s more than twice the growth rate for the 16-county economy.

Aerospace is a “growth opportunity” as this region emerges from recession, said Carin Rockind, vice president for marketing and communications at Team NEO. “We don’t make planes,” Rockind said, “but there’s a lot of different companies that go into the supply chain.”

Indeed, some of the region’s industrial heavyweights do big business in aerospace, including the Eaton Corp., Parker Hannifin Corp., Timken Co., Goodrich Corp. and Alcoa Inc. Ohio is believed to be the second-largest supplier to Boeing Co., the Chicago-based jet maker.

Also, the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland engages in research and development in aerospace and human space flight.

Team NEO officials said gauging the economic impact of aerospace and its supply chain is all but impossible. It cuts across numerous industries and is often just a component of a company’s business.

Instead, Team NEO took a broader look at the industries whose business could include supply-chain manufacturing for the aerospace sector.

They found 2,300 companies across 10 key industries for aerospace, including production of fabricated metal; navigational, measuring and control devices; machined components; and coated, engraved and heat-treated parts.

All told, these companies employ about 58,000 people in a sector that delivered an $8 billion gross regional product in 2008, Team NEO reported. (Gross regional product is defined as the market value of goods and services.)