Bombardier Story

Larry MacDonald is a business journalist who writes for The Globe and Mail, Canadian Business, MoneySense and other publications. He is also the author of two other books, Outperforming the Market (ECW Press, 1998) and Nortel Networks (John Wiley & Sons, 2000).

• Acknowledgments ixA Brief History of Bombardier Inc. xiPreface xixIntroduction: The Rise of a Corporation 1A Meteoric Rise 1The Architects of Success 6Bombardier Today 8Part One 13Chapter 1:  Joseph-Armand Starts a Company: The 1940s and 1950s 15Humble Beginnings 15The Bombardier Snowmobile 16Inventions and Innovations 25Chapter 2: The Ski-Doo Adventure: The Golden Age of the 1960s 34The Family Takes Over 34A Marketing Renewal 39Ski-Doo Fever 42Vertical Integration 46The First Sea-Doo 49Part Two 53Chapter 3: Diversify or Die: The 1970s 55A Challenging Decade 55Taking a New Turn: Rail Transportation 59The Montreal Subway 61The Acquisition of MLW-Worthington 67Chapter 4: The Deal of the Century: The New York City Subway (1982) 73A Golden Opportunity 73A Contested Victory 78The Tools for Success 84The Royer Way of Doing Things 86The BMS 91A Major Breakthrough 97Tempest in a Teapot 101The Value of Proven Technologies 104A Welcome Boost 107Chapter 5: New Frontiers: Transportation in the 1980s and 1990s 110The North American Market 110Full Speed Ahead 112A Rocky Start for the LRC 114The Vagaries of High-Speed in America 117The Disney Monorail 124The Acquisition of UTDC 125Capturing the European Market 129The Chunnel Odyssey 133Taking Over by Storm: From Talbot to Adtranz 137Part Three 143Chapter 6: Aerospace Takes Off 145A Bold Move 145Early Attempts to Diversify: The Automotive Sector 149The Acquisition of Canadair (1986) 151Good Things Come in Threes: Shorts, Learjet, and de Havilland 156Portrait of a Turnaround Artist 165Power in Numbers: Synergizing Operations 171Chapter 7: Revolution in the Sky: The Move Toward Regional Jets 176The Rise of Airline Hubs 176From Challenger to CRJ 179A New Captain Steers Aerospace Group 186Bombardier Takes Off 192Dogfight in the Clouds 196Inside the Pro-ex Saga 201An Affair of State 205Government Support 208Chapter 8: Spreading Its Wings 216The Global Express Business Jet (1991–1996) 216Diversification Delivers 225Part Four 229Chapter 9: Two Turbulent Decades at Valcourt 231The Ski-Doo Loses Speed 231Pierre Beaudoin and the Return of the Sea-Doo (1988) 233Extreme Snowmobiling and Innovation 238Acquisition of Outboard Marine Corporation (2001) 241Chapter 10: Lessons in Strategic Governance 244The Éminence Grise 244Decentralization 248Management Tools 253An Evolving Structure 256Chapter 11: Handing Over the Reins 259Robert Brown Takes Charge 259The Impact of September 2001 264Tellier Joins Bombardier 265An Unexpected Comeback 270Pierre Takes the Helm and CSeries Aircraft Takes Off 273Laurent Beaudoin’s Legacy 276Endnotes 279Index 293