De Havilland Aircraft of Canada acquires Fleet Canada Inc.

Today, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada (DHC) announced that it has acquired all of the shares of Fleet Canada Inc. (Fleet) of Fort Erie, Ontario. Fleet is a current supplier of parts and aerostructures for De Havilland Canada and several other Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). The company operates in a 500 000 square foot (46 450 sq m) facility in Southern Ontario, which has the capacity to support De Havilland Canada's growth and expansion.

With the addition of Fleet, DHC can now in-source a number of capabilities that the company did not already have, including metal-to-metal bonding and advanced composites. Currently, Fleet is providing parts for De Havilland Canada on the Twin Otter, De Havilland Canadair-515, and Dash 8 programs. It is expected that the capacity at the Fleet facility will grow as new machinery is added and additional staff is brought on to keep pace with growing demand.

"With over 46 000 workers across more than 200 companies, Ontario has established itself as a key player in the production and development of cutting-edge aerospace and aerostructure parts," said Vic Fedeli, Ontario's Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. "We congratulate De Havilland Canada on the growth of their operations and look forward to seeing Fleet Canada's craftsmanship continue to define the future of advanced aerostructure manufacturing here in Ontario."

(article source: De Havilland Aircraft of Canada / editor: Anton van Rijsbergen)