Commerce leads third state delegation to Dubai Air Show next week

Six Washington state companies are among 1,300 exhibitors in the United Arab Emirates Nov. 17-21

OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce will lead its third delegation to the Dubai Air Show Nov. 17-21 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) featuring several companies from Washington’s world-leading aerospace supply chain, the Aerospace Futures Alliance (AFA) and the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance (PNAA).

Six companies will join the Commerce delegation exhibiting under the Choose Washington banner in the U.S. Pavilion at the show. Another is featured in marketing materials at the event, which is expected to have 1,300 exhibitors from 63 countries and attract over 87,000 international visitors.

Businesses and partners participating in the Washington state delegation [Download the show directory] to the 2019 Dubai Air Show are:

Five of the delegate companies have been granted a voucher from the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) to offset some of the costs associated with participating in the show. STEP is a highly successful element of Commerce’s small business export assistance programs that help companies that otherwise may not have the resources to take advantage of opportunities such as international trade shows to grow and expand their businesses through trade and foreign partnerships.

Landyn Knipp, chief operating officer for Net-Inspect, said the company is attending the Dubai Air Show for a second time.

“Through the sponsorship and support of the Washington state STEP program, we are able to showcase the capabilities of our supply chain and quality management software to attendees from around the world,” Knipp said. “Exhibiting within the Washington state booth not only enhances our overall presence, but also gives us an opportunity to have pre-arranged face-to-face meetings and network with other exhibitors and attendees.”

Delegate companies are seeking opportunities in a variety of aerospace market segments such as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO); supply chain management; urban air mobility; flight certification; engineering, and unmanned aircraft and systems.

The Dubai Air Show has grown in significance as the UAE invests heavily in leading edge technology, such as quantum computing, closely mirroring advances in the aerospace industry. The transformative influence of technology in virtually every key industry sector, including aerospace and commercial space, is a competitive differentiator for Washington state’s tech innovation ecosystem.

Current opportunities include the emergence of blockchain for operational, security and other applications in aerospace; airport automation; electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOLs), and smart manufacturing, offering original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) greater efficiencies in time, weight and cost.

“Aerospace is a $70 billion industry in Washington state, supporting over 250,000 jobs that strengthen communities throughout our entire state,” said Commerce Director Dr. Lisa Brown. “Differentiated by the world’s finest, most experienced workforce and a culture of innovation spanning more than a century, Washington exports more aerospace products annually than California, Texas, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Arizona and Alabama combined.”

UAE is the largest export market in the Middle East for the U.S., and Washington state ranked first among U.S. states and territories with $13.6 billion in goods exported between 2015 and 2018. Washington had a $1.8 billion trade surplus with UAE in 2018, with transportation equipment and computer electronics the largest sectors. Washington exports to UAE supported an estimated 13,700 jobs in the state. Learn more about Washington trade with UAE.

Washington state has been recognized in multiple independent studies over the past two years, including the Teal Report, as the top place to design and build aircraft. Washington’s massive aerospace workforce numbers more than 136,000 and is unmatched for experience worldwide, producing nearly 90% of all commercial airplanes in the U.S. Nearly 1,400 aerospace-related companies that comprise the supply chain in Washington state are in multiple regional aerospace hubs – from the Seattle-Tacoma-Everett center of manufacturing to Moses Lake in central Washington, Spokane to the east and other areas throughout the state. Read more about Washington’s aerospace and space industry sectors at www.choosewashington.com. Download the 2019 Aerospace Competitive Economics Study.

Follow news and updates from the Dubai Air Show delegation on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wastatecommerce.

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