The Bombardier Story

Acknowledgments ix
A Brief History of Bombardier Inc. xi
Preface xix
Introduction: The Rise of a Corporation 1
A Meteoric Rise 1
The Architects of Success 6
Bombardier Today 8
PART ONE 13
Chapter 1: Joseph-Armand Starts a Company: The 1940s and1950s 15
Humble Beginnings 15
The Bombardier Snowmobile 16
Inventions and Innovations 25
Chapter 2: The Ski-Doo Adventure: The Golden Age of the 1960s34
The Family Takes Over 34
A Marketing Renewal 39
Ski-Doo Fever 42
Vertical Integration 46
The First Sea-Doo 49
PART TWO 53
Chapter 3: Diversify or Die: The 1970s 55
A Challenging Decade 55
Taking a New Turn: Rail Transportation 59
The Montreal Subway 61
The Acquisition of MLW-Worthington 67
Chapter 4: The Deal of the Century: The New York City Subway(1982) 73
A Golden Opportunity 73
A Contested Victory 78
The Tools for Success 84
The Royer Way of Doing Things 86
The BMS 91
A Major Breakthrough 97
Tempest in a Teapot 101
The Value of Proven Technologies 104
A Welcome Boost 107
Chapter 5: New Frontiers: Transportation in the 1980s and1990s 110
The North American Market 110
Full Speed Ahead 112
A Rocky Start for the LRC 114
The Vagaries of High-Speed in America 117
The Disney Monorail 124
The Acquisition of UTDC 125
Capturing the European Market 129
The Chunnel Odyssey 133
Taking Over by Storm: From Talbot to Adtranz 137
PART THREE 143
Chapter 6: Aerospace Takes Off 145
A Bold Move 145
Early Attempts to Diversify: The Automotive Sector 149
The Acquisition of Canadair (1986) 151
Good Things Come in Threes: Shorts, Learjet, and de Havilland156
Portrait of a Turnaround Artist 165
Power in Numbers: Synergizing Operations 171
Chapter 7: Revolution in the Sky: The Move Toward RegionalJets 176
The Rise of Airline Hubs 176
From Challenger to CRJ 179
A New Captain Steers Aerospace Group 186
Bombardier Takes Off 192
Dogfight in the Clouds 196
Inside the Pro-ex Saga 201
An Affair of State 205
Government Support 208
Chapter 8: Spreading Its Wings 216
The Global Express Business Jet (1991-1996) 216
Diversification Delivers 225
PART FOUR 229
Chapter 9: Two Turbulent Decades at Valcourt 231
The Ski-Doo Loses Speed 231
Pierre Beaudoin and the Return of the Sea-Doo (1988) 233
Extreme Snowmobiling and Innovation 238
Acquisition of Outboard Marine Corporation (2001) 241
Chapter 10: Lessons in Strategic Governance 244
The Éminence Grise 244
Decentralization 248
Management Tools 253
An Evolving Structure 256
Chapter 11: Handing Over the Reins 259
Robert Brown Takes Charge 259
The Impact of September 2001 264
Tellier Joins Bombardier 265
An Unexpected Comeback 270
Pierre Takes the Helm and CSeries Aircraft Takes Off 273
Laurent Beaudoin's Legacy 276
Endnotes 279
Index 293