Northwest Aerospace News August | September Issue No. 4 | Page 39

Big Plans
From
The
Big Sky
By Bryan Corliss
I
n Missoula, the heart of
the Big Sky Country, CM
Manufacturing fabricates
landing gear parts. After
years of pursuing certifica-
tions, the business is poised
to take off.
There’s just one problem,
says CM President Ken
Johnson — a shortage of
skilled manpower.
“That’s the toughest one I’m
dealing with right now,” he
said. “Recruiting is a big
problem and it’s not going
to get any better until the
high schools start doing
their jobs, and the legisla-
tors do their part by funding
the programs that are out
there.”
Montana is on the edge
of the aerospace frontier.
Boeing’s Helena plant is the
flagship, with more than 140
employees and more in the
hiring pipeline, now that the
company has completed a
55,000 square foot expan-
sion. The plant does large-
scale titanium forgings.
But the majority of
aerospace companies in
Montana are small-town
machine shops that have
found themselves a prof-
itable industry niche, said
Doug Cairns, a Montana
State University engineering
professor and one of the
directors of the Montana
Aerospace Development
Association.
AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2018 ISSUE NO. 4
39