WELCOME LETTER
This is the 22nd year of our aerospace conference and I have to say , this year feels really different . Last year we were coming out of a historic industry downturn . It was our first in-person conference in two years . People were just getting used to attending industry events and opening up factories for visitors . It seemed like the worst was behind us , but now we are faced with unprecedented challenges directly related to industry recovery . I ’ m sure you ’ ve all heard it many times : “ Supply Chain Challenges .”
Jim Lee PNAA Chair Tool Gauge
This year ’ s ADVANCE conference will be exactly the right prescription for the supply chain . Our theme is Innovate , Collaborate , Accelerate . Like many of you , we are hyper-focused on these three topics : the need to revive innovation ; the need to collaborate for success ; and the very real and pressing need to accelerate .
It seems that now nearly everything is on shortage . We ’ ve never seen so many essential raw materials , supplies , and services struggle to meet demand . Inflation and uncertainty have driven up costs , extended lead times , and created havoc in the supply chain . We ’ ll have multiple discussions on this challenge in the coming days . Our guest speakers will share their insights on driving factors and the outlook for a return to normalcy .
If you are a manufacturer , you have no doubt been asked to accelerate . We all need to hire more people , expedite materials , and support everincreasing production demand . The script has flipped significantly since the big downturn , but these are problems we ’ ve faced before . Several sessions focus on creative ways to meet these challenges .
Over the past month , I ’ ve had numerous discussions about industry collaboration . I have to say , it ’ s been a long time since we ’ ve seen companies reaching out to work together . I ’ ve missed this part of our industry and I ’ m very pleased that we are once again talking about joint business efforts , collaboration , and innovation .
I ’ d also like to share the news that PNAA has recently added to our slate of board members and expanded the range of industry experts . These wonderful volunteers help the staff , serve on our committees , drive membership engagement , and help us provide the highest-quality events possible , while helping us formulate our direction . Of course , none of this would be possible without our esteemed CEO and Executive Director - Nikki Malcom , and her fantastic team of Lisa , Merrie Beth , Lauren , Dale , Fa ’ atui “ Tui ,” Susie , Peter , and Marion .
On behalf of the staff and board of directors , thank you for your continued support . We look forward to seeing you this week .
Best regards ,
PNAA Board Chair
56 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS
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