Message posted on
16 January 2025 by HIVE
On Wednesday, January 15, the Aerospace Maintenance Cluster in Woensdrecht organized a symposium on civil-military collaboration at Business Park Aviolanda. This was followed by the launch of a new, umbrella cluster brand,which should help increase the influx of new students and employees and attract companies with complementary capabilities. More than 180 visitors came for an afternoon program followed by networking drinks. A high number of attendees, underlining the actuality and urgency of the theme.
No fewer than two guest speakers offered the audience a refreshing perspective on collaboration. These were Colonel Ted Meeuwsen, Commander of the CML, and former Lieutenant General of the Defense Support Command Mario Verbeek. Meeuwsen especially emphasized the importance of the human dimension. Not technology, but humans are the foundation of everything. We learn by and from human experimentation. By working together, we bring knowledge together and solve problems faster. But are organizations ready for this?
Verbeek elaborated on that question. Collaboration, like apple pie, is a positive word. Everyone wants it, no one is against it. But why is it so difficult? We are adept at analyzing causes that lie outside of us. But what can we do ourselves? We ourselves are part of the problem. And therefore, with it, part of the solution. If you look in the mirror of the future, you will only see yourself. So starting tomorrow, don’t talk but act. Keep moving, even if you don’t see the whole picture. And socialize, to build connections.
Next, interviewer Ruben Sax started a panel discussion by asking Aviolanda’s Managing Director Ivo van der Vlis about the status of civil-military collaboration within the cluster. Van der Vlis: “If we still want to be there in the future, we must face the challenges together. We don’t just work together out of ambition anymore, but out of sheer necessity.”
As far as the challenges are concerned, there is a big overlap between the civil and military sides, both of which provide aircraft maintenance and training. With the growth in the aviation sector after COVID and the need for Defense to be able to scale up quickly now, many more people are needed. There are also all kinds of transitions going on, from sustainable aviation to digitalization of work processes. “Then you look for synergy, for one plus one equals three,” Van der Vlis said.
Commander Air Support Command Erwin van Beljouw confirmed not only the shift from ambition to necessity, but also how civil-military collaboration today goes beyond a customer-supplier relationship. Van Beljouw: “Just look around the room, all the military staff have come in the green uniform. We clearly have something different to do now than we did a few years ago. But more has changed. We are now talking about recruiting students together and wanting to collaborate as employers. About combining our offerings, giving people choices and opportunities in their careers. The focus is now much more on retaining students and employees for the cluster, rather than purely for the individual organizations.”
Roland van Dijk, Co-CEO of Fokker Services Group also indicated that different times call for a different approach. “We realize that our neighbors have a task that is not primarily maintenance. Our 500 employees also see what is happening in the world and understand that there is a national interest in addition to the corporate interest. A strategic partnership like the one we have with the Royal Netherlands Air Force is about long-term common goals. Then you have to give every now and then”.
Conversely, the Air Force also provides support to their industry partners, for example through the co-use of its runway. “And when possible, we help the companies develop their business,” Van Beljouw said. “We strive for a win-win situation.”
Managing Director Wim Blinkhof of the Aircraft Maintenance & Training School understood only too well why his cluster partners are so happy to have the Aircraft Maintenance Training on their own premises. “Everyone has the same need for skilled personnel. Yet it is up to the organizations themselves to bring in students after graduation. We are not involved in that”.
According to Blinkhof, 15-20% of his students choose the more extensive military variant of the training and there are several reasons for this. For example, they have family or acquaintances who already work for Defense, they like the fellowship, they find the compact high-tech of military aircraft interesting or see which opportunities an internship at Defense offers for their careers. Ultimately, about 30% of the total number of students move on to Defense, slightly more to civil aviation and some also go on to work outside the sector.
Delegate Martijn van Gruijthuijsen emphasized that the province feels strongly committed to Defense for increasing our resilience, while also securing our prosperity and well-being for the future. In the role of facilitator, they are internationally active for Brabant entrepreneurs and help build ecosystems and campuses that advance shared goals. As a shareholder of Business Park Aviolanda, the province invests in the development of the civil-military cluster. Van Gruijthuijsen: “This isn’t only about making real estate more sustainable and building new hangars, but also about innovation and broad collaboration.”
Mayor Steven Adriaansen went on to discuss the usefulness and necessity of the investment, which the municipality is also making as the second shareholder of Business Park Aviolanda. “The cluster provides employment, training and innovation in the region. That is social return. So the connection to this area is important. We have all seen the impact of the relocation of Fokker Elmo”.
The municipality is looking beyond real estate for new companies and activities. Mayor Adriaansen: “It is also about the Human Capital Agenda, the influx of students and employees. Then you shouldn’t have to deal with not being able to get here or live here”. For example, the municipality recently managed to maintain the bus service to and from Aviolanda and is also focusing on issues such as student housing, the energy transition and the National Program “Room for Defense”.
After the panel discussion, it was time to launch the new, umbrella cluster brand. In a brand movie, which some said led to goosebumps, the name was revealed: Hive Aerospace Collective. A name that reflects a collaborative community and thus fits well with the cluster, where corporations, the Royal Netherlands Air Force, educational institutions and the governement work together to maintain the future of civil and military aviation. The payoff “We maintain the future” refers to this. After an in-depth explanation of the brand and a presentation of related resources, the afternoon concluded with networking drinks.
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