Seastar was conceived by the late Professor Claudius Dornier Jr. It represents the unique know-how and experience accumulated at
Montreal Gazette- Dornier Seaplane to open plant in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu
MONTREAL - A new Quebec aircraft manufacturer with a legendary name in aviation was born Monday. The Dornier Seaplane Co. of Florida chose St. Jean sur Richelieu over North Bay as the final assembly site for its Seastar amphibious aircraft it will start making there next spring.
The project is scheduled to employ 250 people when the 100,000-square-foot plant is to be completed in five years, and St. Jean will be the company’s new head office. Dornier Seaplane, however, will keep a Florida foothold to do flight tests in winter months, when rivers and lakes are frozen in Quebec.
The privately-held company currently based in Punta Gorda, Fla., is heir to the famed German Dornier family, which has been involved in building aircraft, mostly “flying boats,” since 1910.Company chairman Conrado Dornier is the grandson of founder Claudius Dornier.
Firm president Joe Walker said in an interview that the first seaplane is due to roll out in 2012.
Quebec Economic Development Minister Clement Gignac said that the province would provide $35 million in loans, or nearly half of the $71.5 million the project is slated to cost.He added that the Seastar will allow local suppliers to broaden their range and develop higher value-added products and services.
Walker said that the small downtown Montreal office staff will relocate to St. Jean next spring, and that hiring will be done in increments of 50 people per year, as the plant is built in 20,000-square–foot annual installments. The project could also create up to 75 additional jobs at engine supplier Pratt & Whitney Canada’s South Shore operations, as well as another 200 jobs at Quebec aerospace suppliers, a total of more than 500 new jobs if things go according to plan. Walker said that “we worked out a very conservative business plan.”
The most immediate task is to develop the firm’s supplier base over the next 20 months, he said. The Seastar cost about $150 million U.S. to develop and will cost $6 million U.S., but it has already received certification, an exacting process by regulators, and has firm orders “in excess of 25 planes,” said Walker.That number will cover the first four years of production, starting in 2012, when it will make one plane, followed by 6 in 2013 and 12 in 2014. The ultimate goal is to produce between 30 and 50 annually.
Dornier is targeting several end-users, including small transporters like Vancouver to Victoria, private owners, oil and gas companies and governments for coastline patrols and search and rescue missions.
Walker said that he chose St. Jean over North Bay because of government support, the large skilled aerospace workforce in Quebec, the easy access by seaport and airport and strong financial and legal expertise in Montreal in aviation matters.
The arrival dethrones Bombardier Inc. as the only Quebec-based fixed-wing aircraft maker, but spokesperson Marc Duchesne said the company does not see it as a rival to its amphibious water-bombers.
fshalom [at] thegazette [dot] canwest [dot] com
© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette
