LOCAL small and medium enterprises) are getting a helping hand to break into the global aerospace market.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Friday between Spring Singapore, AAIS (Association of Aerospace Industries Singapore) and PRI USA (Performance Review Institute) to facilitate this.
The three parties agreed to recognise promotion and cooperation on Nadcap (National Aerospace and Defence Contractors Accreditation Programme), a stringent quality assurance programme for special processes in the aerospace industry.
While it is not an FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) requirement, many major aerospace customers like The Boeing Company and Honeywell Aerospace have made it mandatory for their direct suppliers to be Nadcap-certified.
Mr Charles Chong, President of AAIS, noted that while many local companies may already have met the standards required to satisfy the aerospace industry, they cannot provide these services to customers in US aerospace companies because they are not accredited.
SMEs may also lack the expertise or resources to be accredited, since an audit is required for accreditation. Spring Singapore is therefore helping them with the resources needed to gain accreditation, by typing up with PRI.
Spring Singapore Chief Executive Png Cheong Boon said the Singapore aerospace industry is robust, and has achieved double-digit over the past five years.
MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) output hit an all-time high of $6.9 billion in 2007 - up 12% from a year ago. The booming industry has also contributed to significant job creation, with some 19,000 workers employed in the aerospace industry last year.
