Its customers include Bell Helicopter Textron, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Canada's own Bombardier Inc. Avcorp employs close to 800 people in B.C. and Quebec. The engineering and aero structures divisions are located in Delta, in the first facility in B.C. of its kind and the largest west of Winnipeg. Avcorp sees the location as being both strategic and beneficial - just a step away from Boeing's base in Seattle and an arm's reach from the Asian market. John Sanford, the company's President and CEO since March of this year, also recognizes more personal advantages to working in the Vancouver area.
People are lucky to live here.
The manufacturing plant in Delta opened in 1998 and employs a system that has parts built and completed within a cell rather than having the process spread out. Innovation at Avcorp is also keeping the company ahead of its global competitors. The plant is the first in North America to make use of robots replicating human motion to assemble aerospace components. Boeing's recent reductions in levels of inventory and rates of production have caused some turbulence for the company but this has not stopped Avcorp from aiming higher. The first unit was shipped in December of 1999 and 24 units have been manufactured at this point.