ADM Aéroports de Montréal took advantage of its presence at the International Forum on Aerospace Innovation organized by Aero Montreal to unveil a series of major announcements confirming the rapid growth and vitality of YMX Innovation, its technological campus located at YMX, the international aeronautics hub in Mirabel. The organization thus reaffirms its ambition to stimulate innovation and contribute to positioning Quebec and Canada among the global leaders in future aerospace.
“Through these new partnerships and the remarkable momentum of the past year, YMX Innovation confirms its role as a catalyst for the Quebec aerospace industry. ADM will continue its commitment to create the winning conditions for every ecosystem player to innovate, grow, and shine. Together, we shape the aerospace of tomorrow and give ourselves the means to aim ever higher,” said Yves Beauchamp, President and CEO of ADM Aéroports de Montréal.
One year after its launch, and under the impetus of Espace Aero, YMX Innovation is already establishing itself as a strategic hub of the Quebec Aerospace Innovation Zone, welcoming its first global leaders. From robotics to advanced air mobility, to sustainable energy, the seven strategic programs targeted by ADM are fully deployed:
– Airbus partners with YMX Innovation to establish their Protospace, an exclusive space dedicated to experimentation, productivity, and training. Airbus is also initiating, in collaboration with Exo-Drone, an automated drone surveillance project of its Mirabel site, demonstrating the convergence between innovation, operational efficiency, and security. – The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) launches its activities in advanced air mobility at Mirabel with its Drone Innovation Center. In addition to focusing on advancing R&D and commercialization for the Canadian defense sectors, it will offer the industry a unique environment to validate new drone technologies. – The national consortium H2CanFly has also chosen YMX Innovation to establish its new state-of-the-art center called “ARCTIC” and to conduct activities on the use of hydrogen as a clean propulsion technology, an essential pillar of aviation decarbonization. – Volatus will operate a drone assembly plant at YMX, enhancing the site’s position as a reference platform for autonomous systems and dual technologies. – WatchOut, a French-Swiss company specializing in AI-driven autonomous machining cells, has completed its installation work and installed its first equipment. Their high-performance technology will enrich the YMX Innovation ecosystem.
“Airbus is pleased to announce the upcoming establishment of a new innovation space within YMX Innovation, thus strengthening our longstanding local partnership in collaboration with ADM. These high-speed Airbus incubation facilities are designed to fulfill a unique mission: to give engineers the autonomy needed to develop revolutionary concepts, build and test them in real-time, thus shortening innovation cycles. As a strategic partner of ADM, this co-location in Mirabel reinforces our existing operational presence, which already has over 4,600 employees, and enables us to have the necessary infrastructure to support the ongoing production ramp-up of the A220, as well as development activities and research in sustainability,” said Vincent Courtois, Head of A220 Manufacturing Engineering.
ADM will also welcome students from the Cégep de Saint-Jérôme in mechanical engineering at the heart of YMX Innovation. Combined with the SDG network, a program of structuring chairs in advanced air mobility bringing together all Quebec universities, this partnership makes the site a conducive learning place for experimentation, training, and the development of advanced expertise.
“These many new projects and partnerships in Mirabel, one of the three poles of Espace Aero, show that our innovation zone is already bearing fruit. It is exactly these types of linkages that the various ecosystem partners wanted to see multiplying by participating in the creation of Espace Aero. By mobilizing so many actors around common innovation infrastructures, we allow the Quebec aerospace industry to go even further, and to preserve and enhance its role as a global leader in our industry,” said Pascal Desilets, CEO of Espace Aero.
