The Aviation Valley is located in South-Eastern Poland, in Podkarpackie Voivodship, within the Special Economic Zone. The spatial concentration of entities focused on the aerospace industry in this location is very high, and the formal organisation was developed to be a platform for cooperation and communication amongst cluster actors and with partners from outside the cluster. There are around 155 entities (companies and other organisations) operating within the cluster.3 The creation of this cluster was initiated by companies located in this area. Nevertheless, aviation firms in Poland operate not only in this location but also in the Western and Central part of the country.

The growth of this industry was quite noticeable during the interwar period. In those days, the Polish aviation industry was famous for light aircraft, gliders, engines and avant-garde construction solutions (PIaFIA, 2013, p. 4). In 1936, the Polish government started the initiative and five-year project called the Central Industrial Region (COP) (PIaFIA, 2013, p. 4), which was one of the biggest economic projects in the Second Polish Republic. The Second World War interrupted its implementation, though it was reactivated after the war. Two big factories in the Podkarpackie Province were planned, the aircraft factory in Mielec and the aircraft engine and artillery factory in Rzeszów. The emergence of a great pool of academics and engineers focused on the aviation industry helped the sector to develop practically from scratch shortly after 1945, and such human resources played a paramount role in the reconstruction of the aviation industry at the beginning of the political and economic transformation in Poland. The 1990s brought a visible reduction in the workforce in this sector, by almost 50%; that is, up to 40,000 people. amongst them were many top professionals with great expertise in technology.

In 2004, when Poland joined the European Union, new sources of funding appeared, i.e. the Framework Programmes, CleanSky, DREAM, SCARLET, and OPENAIR. The perception of Poland in the world has improved and the risk of doing business in Poland decreased. It was a very important message for foreign (PIaFIA, 2013, p. 7). In the cluster, the first FDIs were done by large relevant companies in the industry: Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky, Augusta, Hispano-Suiza and MTU. Their entry accelerated the growth of the Valley, since they were flagship manufacturers of engines and aircraft parts. They developed their network of local suppliers and, thus, supported the growth of local family businesses.4

The collaboration between FSs and R&D actors in the cluster have been particularly intense since the beginning of the cluster. General Electric Company (GE) and the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation (ILOT), which is the founder of the cluster organisation (namely that corresponds with the presented aviation cluster: the Aviation Valley) are close partners. The manifestation of their cooperation are tests for bearings and fans used in aircraft engines (Stężycki, Wiśniowski, 2016). Similar tests were conducted for Pratt & Whitney and for Rolls Royce who are the main players in the aviation industry. This kind of cooperation calls for high quality competences and unique professional laboratories (e.g. bearing lab and combustion chamber in ILOT). That is why aviation companies look for attractive locations with knowledge pools and the Aviation Valley in Poland is one of such locations.

The cluster embraces FSs of MNEs and many local firms. The structure of the industry is dominated by SMEs with the visible involvement of family firms. Despite their size and, thus, their relatively high vulnerability to turbulences in their environment, these firms have been able to become attractive partners for demanding well-known actors in the world aviation industry like Boeing and Airbus. Thanks to their expertise, Polish family-owned SMEs have provided some of the most sophisticated parts for Boeing 737 s, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus 380 s. As a kind of confirmation of the position in the world of the Polish Aviation Valley, let us mention the fact that practically every aircraft in the world is equipped with one or more items from Poland. amongst the corporate actors in the Valley are FSs of companies mainly from the USA, Italy, France, the UK and Canada. These FSs have been producers of aviation and high-tech equipment. In 2017, Rolls-Royce and Safran opened a new factory – Aero Gearbox International Poland – in the Valley, a factory that produces engines.5 Another example of a FS dedicated to manufacturing in the Aviation Valley is Bodycote, which produces aircraft engine components as well as chassis components for aircraft.6 They also conduct laboratory tests on microstructures and the properties of alloys used in the aviation industry.

As far as I4.0 is concerned, two ongoing processes can be observed. On the one hand, there are firms acquainted with I4.0, such as 3D Robot Sp. z o.o., which develops and implements innovative robotic technologies dedicated to plants operating in the broadly defined aviation industry. This is in line with the innovative potentialities related to cluster dynamics, in which specialised suppliers (also new firms) can support broader technological (and product) enhancement at the cluster and industry level. On the other hand, in the group of the leading foreign investors in the Valley are EME Aero, SAFRAN Transmission Systems Poland, Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace, MTU, WSK Świdnik, a Leonardo Helicopters Company, Heli One and General Electric. Such companies are involved in projects that exploit Big Data technologies, 3D printing and artificial intelligence. The biggest cluster firms with foreign origin cooperate with specialized cluster suppliers and R&D institutions. Cluster cooperation is crucial and is the foundation for the broader cooperation within the Clean Sky 2 project (Fig. 1 below).

Fig. 1.

Clean Sky 2 program: cooperation within I4.0 technologies Source: own elaboration based on European Commission (2017); (Piwek & Wiśniowski, 2016).

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One of the leading R&D entities in the Aviation Valley is the Centre of Advanced Technologies “AERONET Aviation Valley” established in 2004 (PIaFIA, 2013, p. 8). This institution is coordinated by the Rzeszów University of Technology. It has the legal form of a consortium dedicated to facilitating cooperation between business and academia. Through joint projects, the consortium develops the most sophisticated technological solutions. The Rzeszów University of Technology is very much engaged in research focused on the aviation industry, so much that it established the Materials Research Laboratory for the aviation industry. In Europe, it is one of the most advanced laboratories doing research in modern manufacturing technologies, including plastic forming and surface engineering, which is related to aspects of 3D printing.

Another consortium is the Cold Flow Turbine Test Facility. It is a joint project of Avio Polska WZL Nr 4 S.A. and the research-industrial consortium Laboratorium Badań Napędów Lotniczych “Polonia Aero,” but also two entities from outside of the cluster: the Warsaw University of Technology and the Military University of Technology. The facility is one of the most modern industrial research and development laboratories concentrated on testing low-pressure turbine prototypes worldwide. This investment is worth EUR 50 million.

The strength of the R&D sector in the Aviation Valley is to some extent the result of cooperation between the Polish Aviation Technology Platform and the National Research and the Development Centre under the leadership of the InnoLot Programme,7 based on a formal agreement. The National Research and Development Centre has been obliged to invest around EUR 73 million (60% of the budget of the project) in research, development and measures supporting the transfer of results to the aviation sector. The remaining 40% have been provided by the members of the following associations: Aviation Valley in Rzeszów, Wielkopolski Aviation Cluster in Kalisz and the Bielsko Federation of Airline Companies in Bielsko-Biala. Financing only went to projects that deliver tangible commercial gain to the industry. The research projects have so far resulted in around 30 Polish prototypes and technology demonstrators developed with the use of 3D printing and robotics.

Other than the initiatives of external companies, we should mention research centres established by cluster firms. For example, the company WSK “PZL-Rzeszów” S.A. (now Pratt & Whitney Rzeszów) implemented the project “The Creation of a Research and Development Centre for Aircraft Propulsion Systems.” This initiative was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund; European Union funds within the Operational Programme: Development of Eastern Poland 2007–2013; Priority axis 1. Modern Economy; and Measure 1.3 Promoting Innovation. The project was to finance the construction of a building for the needs of the design and technology office, adaptation and renovation of facilities which will house engine test beds, but also the purchase of scientific and research machinery and equipment.8 The project was implemented during the period 2012–2015 and created new opportunities for design and engine testing at WSK Rzeszów. Another research centre is the Aircraft Research and Testing Centre at PZL Mielec, which became famous due to its manufacturing of helicopter cabins for the Black Hawk.9 The testing processes used prototypes developed with 3D printing technology and Augmented Reality solutions.

The long tradition of the aviation industry in Poland is related to the educational possibilities in this sector. Many major cities of Poland have Universities that offer programmes for aviation engineers. These education institutions are dispersed all around Poland so – although Rzeszów University of Technology is situated within the Aviation Valley – graduates from all the above universities are employed by cluster companies, with the pool of potential employees reinforced each year by around 20,000 of new professionals.

To provide human resources with a profile required by the industry, there happen constant interactions between universities and cluster-related companies, during which they discuss their expectations in terms of staffing. Cluster firms, universities and secondary schools together promote studies in engineering programmes, while teachers are trained in aviation companies within the cluster or even beyond, in other regions of Poland and abroad. Training courses abroad are possible thanks to the fact that there are subsidiaries of foreign companies in the Aviation Valley. The courses offered by education institutions, R&D entities in Poland and training provided by foreign firms focus much on the I4.0 solutions, in particular 3D printing. This kind of approach is very much justified by the still relatively low adoption of 3D printing and robotics in Poland. Only 2% of enterprises in Poland uses 3D printing in general, with only 1% for prototypes or models for sale. However, 5% of enterprises declared the use of industrial robots in 2018.10

There is a need for the professional teaching of students about appropriate machinery, tools and software, so cluster firms provide them together with the training facilities. Since 2016, companies in the cluster took patronage over 12 schools in the region – technical colleges and Practical Training Centers – and the whole project has been co-financed by the Voivode Office. This cooperation is the essence of the project – the Training centre for Numerically Controlled Machine Operators – that emerged thanks to the agreement signed by the cluster organisation Aviation Valley and the above-mentioned schools, the best ones in the region. Workplaces are available not only in production but also in R&D, where around 300 new people are needed each year, and the demand for skilled workers is growing. Training courses and internship programmes in leading firms are popular. An example of the cooperation are such programmes as Aviation Management at the School of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszów or Air Transport Infrastructure at the Cracow University of Technology, with graduates able to find jobs in the Aviation Valley. The development of programmes dedicated to the aviation industry has been possible thanks to European Union funds.

What plays a great role in the cooperation between business, R&D and education institutions is the cluster organisation that promotes and supports the implementation of a set of actions. According to the cluster manager, a great emphasis has been put on teaching physics to students in junior high schools and high schools. For younger kids, cluster organisation helped to develop the Technical University. The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics of the Rzeszów University of Technology offers dual studies in the “Integrated training of personnel for the aviation industry.” The study program is based to a large extent on analyses carried out in modern production plants, which take under consideration the need to redefine the business models of aviation firms following I4.0 premises. A separate program is targeted at high school teachers. One of the key companies – Pratt & Whitney Rzeszów –organises for teachers of the profession regular sessions, visits to production departments, meetings to share knowledge and good practices with respect to I4.0 solutions. The company co-finances the participation of schools from Rzeszów and the surrounding area in nationwide competitions and the organisation of technical and science competitions (Olimpiady). The company took patronage over some classes in schools, first in the Mechanical School Complex, then also in the Technical School Complex. The patronage is to support the education of highly qualified personnel for the aviation industry through a traineeship and internship program. All this is to allow students to gain practical experience in a real business environment penetrated by I4.0 challenges.

Aware of the need to develop the environment for the development of technology and the conditions for implementing I4.0, the Aviation Valley develops soft skills for the European Aerospace Industry in the era of Sky 4.0. The Aviation Valley implements an international educational program whose goal is to help Aeronautical companies from a different European country to meet the challenges of Industry 4.0 by improving the soft skills of their human resources. The implementation of work on the project involves not only Polish (e.g. PZL Mielec) but also foreign members of the Aviation Valley (Pratt & Whitney). This is to further integrate FS with local partners at the Aviation Valley and to jointly develop the best practices for creating a friendly environment for the development of technologies and employees of industry 4.0.

Currently, the Aviation Valley Cluster coordinates a project entitled Sky 4.0 as part of the ERASMUS + program, which aims to build curricula on soft skills necessary to implement I4.0 solutions and technologies in the aviation sector, namely character skills, social competences and personal development skills.

The Aviation Valley companies are involved in the Clean Sky 2 program. It is a public-private partnership (PPP) between the European Commission and the EU aviation industry (Fig. 1). The Aviation Valley is part of the program and participates in that via the Institute of Aviation which is indicated in Fig. 1. amongst entities involved in this program we may indicate the Polish domestic companies (such as Ultratech - http://ultratech.pl/en/about-us-2/, Eurotech - http://eurotech.com.pl/en/home-2/, Szel-tech - http://szel-tech.pl/index.php?lang=en), and the Polish R&D organisations (such as the Aviation Institute), and PZL Mielec (http://www.pzlmielec.pl/en/) a large company being a foreign subsidiary of Lockhed Martin.

As part of the Clean Sky program, technologies are developed with the aim of meeting the quality parameters (release of carbon dioxide – CO2, nitrogen oxides – NOx, noise emissions reduction), reinforcing the competitiveness of the European aviation industry and increasing the availability of air services through diverse services. The Clean Sky 2 structure includes joint demonstrations and simulations at the full vehicle level through Innovative Aircraft Demonstrator Platforms (IADPs).

The project activities include Small Air Transport (SAT), initiated by the Research Network Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation from Poland. The SAT's mission is to provide an accessible and affordable high-speed mode of transport in the European interregional network of connections. Members of the Aviation Valley are involved in all areas of SAT, both Polish companies and institutes, but also foreign partners who invested in the Aviation Valley. I4.0 technologies are being developed that allow the implementation of the SAT activity. In the Airframe area, coordinated by the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation, the most desirable technologies of I4.0 are: Friction STiR Welding, Additive Manufacturing, Block Structures, and High-Speed Machining. In this area, five companies and a research institute – members of the Aviation Valley – participate in the implementation of the project.

The coordinator of another project from the Engines ITD area under SAT is GE Avio Italia, which is part of GE Co. GE belongs to a group of large investors in the Aviation Valley. In the ITD Engines area, the key developed I4.0 technologies are Additive Manufacturing, Big Data Analysis and New Materials (mainly resistant to high temperatures). Third area (Systems ITD) – the Cost Optimized Avionic SysTem – is coordinated by Honeywell and the Institute of Aviation and Rzeszów University of Technology. The project focuses on investigations, testing and delivery of key novel avionic technologies capable of tackling the most challenging tasks in the area of avionic solutions. These tasks generally concentrate on searching for twofold results: the reduction of costs and development towards single-pilot cockpit solutions. The Rzeszów University of Technology and Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation are working together on the latter: the Flight Reconfiguration System (FRS). This is the avionic sub-system designed to solve the problem of possible abrupt pilot/crew incapacity to continue controlling the flight (e.g. in case of abrupt death, loss of consciousness, loss of geographical awareness, etc.). It is also worth emphasising that – in addition to local enterprises – members of the Aviation Valley, the SAT program includes transnational corporations such as Leonardo Helicopters Co and GE Co. Thus, the Aviation Valley operates like a platform for cooperation at the international level.

In addition to this evidence, we should mention that the cluster organisation of the Aviation Valley is involved in the cooperation with other cluster organisations within the European Aerospace Cluster Partnership (http://www.eacp-aero.eu/). This partnership is dedicated to the implementation of I4.0 (in particular, to the interconnected smart-factory, robotics, the automation of production and logistic processes, the development of common quality standards).