In the midst of the recent recession, recovery for the manufacturing sector in Quebec was expected to be long and slow, but the momentum has shifted due to positive announcements made in the aerospace market. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers is expecting a strong showing at its Montreal Manufacturing Technology Show (MMTS) coming up May 17-19.

"We've been hearing a lot of optimism from both our attendees and exhibitors. In fact, we've been adding new exhibits and increasing booth sizes for others in these last weeks before the show," says Nick Samain, MMTS event manager. "The recent news from market leaders such as Bombardier, GE, CAE, Lockheed Martin and Bell Helicopter is spurring the need for capital equipment such as what will be demonstrated and shown at Quebec's only manufacturing event of its kind." 

This renewed interest is also supported by SME's economic outlook survey of manufacturers in Quebec on their spending plans for the future and their views on the recovery of the industry. The survey's respondents represent aerospace, transportation, medical manufacturing, wind energy, mining, electronics, energy and consumer products industries. The study revealed that while the economic downturn had a significant negative impact on manufacturing operations, almost two-thirds of respondents anticipate business activity to increase in the next 12 months.

"And MMTS is the place to get prepared for this resurgence," Samain says. "Quebec manufacturers demand the very latest in manufacturing technology in order to lead in key industries and continue to grow their market share globally. And MMTS exhibitors have certainly responded in this regard. There are an unprecedented 70 new products to be introduced at the show.

Other encouraging highlights of the survey include:

- Significant Equipment Budgets-37.4 percent have an excess of $100,000 to spend on manufacturing equipment over the next 12 months. Twenty-two percent are over $250,000, and 7.5 percent over $1 million.

- Expenditures Increasing-48.9 percent see their manufacturing equipment expenditures increasing in the near future.

- Stable Spending-39.2 percent see their expenditures remaining the same.

- Top Technologies in Demand-Automation, assembly, cleaning, coolants, cutting tools, lasers, machining centers, material handling, measurement, metal forming, milling, robotics, turning and welding top the list of equipment in demand.