Due to continued growth and demand in the North America, as well as Latin America, Alsim will begin producing many of its simulator products in the United States starting in mid-2019. Alsim's new facility, to be based in the eastern U.S., will ensure quicker production and installation of its simulators with more American components. In addition to hardware assembly, the staff at the location will provide enhanced technical services and help develop software. The facility will also maintain a spare parts stockpile, if needed.
It’s been a year of growth for Alsim in the region. It opened an office in Austin, Texas in mid-2017. It began recruiting personnel to help promote their flight training devices to both current and prospective customers and provide high quality customer service. Alsim has added multiple new clients in Canada and the U.S. over the past 12 months including: Adventure Aviation, Cirrus Aviation, Journey Air, Kent State University, Select College, and Springbank Air Training College. In addition, many of their older clients have purchased additional devices like Montair Aviation that now own and operate three Alsim simulators. Alsim also sold, in April 2018, its first simulator into Latin America, an AL250 to Escuela de Aviacion in Columbia.
During the same time period, the 24-year-old company has expanded their product range to include a type-specific Cessna 172 and their new Boeing 737/Airbus 320 hybrid, The Airliner, partnering with the U.S. company Aviation Performance Solutions (APS), headquartered in Arizona and leaders in Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) to help produce class leading training capabilities. A large number of these two simulators will be produced at the U.S. facility.
Mike Tonkin, Alsim’s after sales and business development director, explains “We recruited Dr. Scott Firsing, our Americas Sales and Business Development Manager as the first person on the ground. We then quickly expanded the team to include a marketing and communications specialist, Ms. Elise Peterson, installers and technical support. Now with 20-plus clients in North and South America, new devices and partners like APS, supporting airline, flight school, university associations, and more announcements to come, the next logical step was to start producing in the U.S.”
Alsim is currently recruiting more sales representatives for their Austin, TX office, and more personnel for their new production facility, with operations starting in the late Spring/early Summer 2019.