TOULOUSE, FRANCE--(Marketwired - Sept. 18, 2014) - CGI (TSX:GIB.A)(NYSE:GIB) has entered today into a collaborative partnership with two aerospace clusters, Aerospace Valley in France and Aéro Montréal in Quebec, to research and develop aerospace solutions, particularly in the areas of production and maintenance.
CGI has an active presence in the cities of Toulouse, France and Montreal, Quebec, where the two clusters are located, and extensive aerospace and manufacturing expertise. Its professionals will collaborate with the staff of Aerospace Valley and Aéro Montréal to explore the use of innovative technologies to improve the quality and speed of aerospace production and preventive maintenance, as well as other operational areas.
"We are very excited about collaborating with CGI on projects that will drive innovation in our industry," said Suzanne Benoît, president and CEO of Aéro Montréal. "The development of the 'plant of the future' is of particular interest to us, promising to significantly increase the competitiveness of aerospace companies."
"The sharing of knowledge and best practices is definitely key to helping our members develop and evolve their strategic technology initiatives," adds Agnès Paillard, president of Aerospace Valley. "We look forward to benefiting from CGI's expertise and experience."
"CGI's 30+ years of experience within the aerospace and manufacturing sectors gives us unique insight into the challenges faced by Aéro Montréal and Aerospace Valley members, and we welcome the opportunity to help them address their market challenges," noted Jean-Michel Baticle, president of CGI in France. "We can offer the know-how and solutions necessary to help them achieve their business objectives."
A collaboration forum, to be held alternately in France and Quebec, will focus on digitizing the production chain from upstream to downstream, among many other projects planned as part of the agreement.
About Aéro Montréal
Aéro Montréal, Quebec's aerospace cluster, is a strategic think tank that groups all the major decision makers in Quebec's aerospace sector, including companies, educational and research institutions, associations and unions. Aéro Montréal's mission is to mobilize industry players around common goals and concerted actions to increase the cohesion and optimize the competitiveness of Quebec's aerospace cluster. It aims to foster the growth and expansion of the cluster so as to ensure that it may continue to create wealth for Montréal, Quebec and Canada. More information about Aéro Montréal is available at www.aeroMontreal.ca.
About Aerospace Valley
Created nine years ago and now in its maturity phase, Aerospace Valley is ranked among the world's top three clusters for its performance and cooperative R&D projects. The numerous projects carried out by its members testify, more than ever, to the effectiveness of its organization and the commitment of its aeronautics, aerospace and embedded systems members to the promotion of growth through innovation. Since its creation, 689 R&D projects have been labelled by Aerospace Valley.
Covering the Midi-Pyrénées and Aquitaine geographical regions, Aerospace Valley is devoted to developing synergies and cooperation among companies, research laboratories and training establishments. Its growing number of members (currently 722, including 416 SMEs) representing large companies, SMEs, research facilities, universities and other higher learning institutions, communities and economic development organizations attest to the unanimous support of this outstanding dynamic. Aerospace Valley is also comprised of 60 leaders in the fields of industry, research and training engaged as facilitators of strategic business areas, as well as a permanent team and the support of Midi-Pyrénées Expansion regional development and ADI agencies for Aquitaine. Since September 2011, Aerospace Valley has been under the direction of Agnès Paillard, Vice-President of Research and Innovation, Airbus Group, and President of INPI.
About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is the fifth largest independent information technology and business process services firm in the world. Approximately 68,000 professionals serve thousands of global clients from offices and delivery centers across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, leveraging a comprehensive portfolio of services including high-end business and IT consulting, systems integration, application development and maintenance, infrastructure management as well as a wide range of proprietary solutions. With annual revenue in excess of C$10 billion and an order backlog of approximately C$19 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Website: www.cgi.com.
Communications director
sebastien.barange@cgi.com
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