U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Airbus Americas (Herndon, Va., USA) chairman Allan McArtor announced the formalization of a partnership between Airbus and Ohio suppliers aimed at growing Ohio’s aerospace industry. They were joined by leaders from Ohio’s aerospace and technology communities, including the Ohio Aerospace Institute and Ohio’s Edison Technology Centers. These partners will co-host a set of procurement conferences to help facilitate more business between Ohio companies and Airbus.

The procurement conferences, which are aimed at growing the state’s aerospace industry by identifying new contract opportunities, will enable Ohio companies to meet one-on-one with representatives from Airbus. The first conference will be held on Monday, Dec. 7, 2009, at the Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI, Cleveland, Ohio). The second expo will be held in Southern Ohio during the first quarter of 2010. A date and location have not yet been determined.

“This is about building on Ohio’s rich aerospace heritage to create new jobs,” Brown said. “As Airbus looks for suppliers in North America, our message to them is that they don’t need to look any further than Ohio. This is about formalizing our state’s long-time relationship with Airbus and creating a structure that allows more Ohio companies to be considered for contracts.”

“The State of Ohio ranks number one out of the 40 states where Airbus spends procurement dollars. In 2008 alone, Airbus spent $3.96 billion with Ohio direct suppliers who help build our aircraft. I have been in discussions with Senator Brown since his first days in office on ways to grow that relationship, and I’m excited about the partnership we are announcing today,” said McArtor.

Currently, there are more than 600 companies in Ohio’s aerospace industry, accounting for more than 186,000 direct jobs. In total, more than 1,200 companies do business with the aerospace industry, according to the Ohio Aerospace Institute.