YMC 2004 Topic
This year's conference topic is
CIVIL & DEFENCE BUSINESS IN AEROSPACE:
Insights for Successful Portfolio Management
Since the events of September 11th, 2001, the Aerospace market has undergone many changes. New concepts, such as Homeland Security, have blurred the previous structure of two independent pillars, the civil business and the defence business. This context clearly creates uncertainty, but is also an opportunity for companies to rethink their portfolio.
On the one hand, the US is leading a war against terrorism, promising high levels of spending in the military sector, and the European Union is reconsidering its Security and Defence policy with the creation of a European Armaments, Research and Military Capabilities Agency. On the other hand, the civil market is recovering from 9/11 and is forecasted to regain momentum in the next years.
Under these circumstances many strategies are now open for the Aerospace actors. One appealing strategy is to achieve a balanced portfolio. This balances risks and offers many synergy possibilities, both in terms of technology transfer as well as in multidisciplinary applications, such as the Galileo project.
However, such an approach is not free of risks. Indeed, entering the defence market involves political aspects which may in turn impact the civil activities of companies. Moreover, a broad range of activities raises challenges on the technology and human resources level and at the same time has a considerable impact on the way in which the company is perceived by the financial industry as well as by the public and the press.
The YMC 2004 will approach these key issues and provide a platform for investigating the meaning of “Successful Portfolio Management” and the strategies of the different players, each of them following their own path.
The purpose of the conference is to address all the challenges and opportunities from various perspectives. Speakers from the whole aerospace industry as well as experts from other fields will bring insights into these subjects and discuss their implications on the industry.
During the two days of the conference, participants will have the chance to share their views and formulate new ideas to rise to the commercial and strategic challenges that lie ahead.
