Making gains in Spain

In a Q&A session, Antonio Gómez-Guillamón, chairman of Andalusia Aerospace tells Aerospace Manufacturing about the progress made by the Andalusian aeronautical business cluster.

The Andalusian aerospace sector is one of the main pillars of our economy, representing 1.68% of the Andalusian GDP. Regarding exports, the aeronautical chapter keeps on experiencing spectacular growth (last January sales increased by 378% compared to January 2018). These figures show Andalusia as the first Spanish exporting region of the aerospace sector with 50% of sales of the national total.

An industry as strategic as this one needs to have organisations and institutions that contribute to the strengthening and positioning of Andalusian companies in the national and international aerospace market. To work towards this goal in July 2017, the Andalucia Aerospace Association was created, a business cluster made up of 55 companies comprising members and collaborators that combine their interests to be defended and represented at the institutional level.

Q) What kinds of incentives are there to interest overseas companies in investing/relocating to the region?

Andalusia is one of the most important aerospace hubs in Europe. Together with Toulouse and Hamburg, it’s one of the only three aeronautical centres that have a Final Assembly Line (FAL) for large aircraft, in this case, the A400M. And it is located in the Aerospace Technology Park of Andalucía, Aeropolis, the European Science and Technology Park exclusively devoted to the aerospace industry. It has become the European site with the highest concentration of innovation and business activity per square metre in this sector. That's why it currently has an important business community composed of 92 companies, many of them are international firms. In addition to Aeropolis, Andalusia has the Tecnobahía Park of Cádiz and the Andalusia Technology Park in Málaga, which also includes aerospace companies.

The Andalusian government is committed to our region as the best destination for foreign investment in the aerospace sector. For example, the Innovation and Development Agency of Andalusia (IDEA Agency) offers foreign investors different specific services that include support during both the decision-making and setting up processes, support and consultancy throughout the bureaucratic process and request for incentives, and also offers an aftercare service that focuses on the monitoring of expansion projects and investments of foreign companies that are established in the region.

Q) Are there any success stories you can relate about aerospace tier supply chain companies that have already relocated to Andalusia?

Three Spanish aerostructure tier ones are present in Andalusia, which means that together with the four sites that Airbus has in the region, these companies want to establish themselves in our territory. There are many international companies that are part of the aerospace business; Andalusia has a century of aerospace tradition and this has resulted in the setting up of companies in the sector for many years. The important thing is that new companies are continuing to show interest in establishing themselves in the most important aerospace hub in Southern Europe.

Q) Please provide any information of the Andalusian aerospace supply chain and the kinds of capabilities it can offer aerospace OEMs?

The Andalusian supply chain is very specialised, above all, in aerostructures and engineering and quality services, but it is a very complete supply chain. The auxiliary companies play a key role in the sector, and their turnover continues to be upward in recent years. The latest data published for 2017 reflect a billing of €1,209 million, with an average productivity per employee of €99,149.

The Andalusian companies that are part of the supply chain have made an important effort to reinvent themselves and adapt to the new challenges proposed by the sector, such as digital transformation or 3D manufacturing but we must continue to evolve to improve our digital capabilities, and not only in assembly, where Andalusia has a leading position.

Q) What kinds of manufacturing technology innovations are involved, i.e. advanced materials, additive manufacturing, etc.?

As mentioned, Andalusian aeronautical companies have been able to respond to the new challenges of the sector, especially adapting to the demands of Industry 4.0. The digital transformation has been fundamental to improve the automation of factories and processes; concepts such as Big Data, artificial intelligence and virtual reality have revolutionised manufacturing, and we continue in that process of better improvement because this is required by a tremendously demanding technology industry. We must be at the forefront, and Andalusia is also, as a benchmark in sectors such as UAVs or techniques such as additive manufacturing.

But the technological vanguard must be accompanied by a highly specialised, qualified and trained human team. This is why Andalucia Aerospace designs training courses focused on satisfying, in a real way, companies’ needs.

Q) How does the region intend to respond to the OEMs demand for new and advanced technological innovations in the future?

We are already doing it, investing in R&D resources and participating in many research projects that result in an improvement of the capabilities of our companies. Many Andalusian companies are part of European consortia that are already investigating new techniques and technologies that will come to improve the aeronautical sector, and to respond to OEMs in any type of need that may arise.

Q) Finally, what other challenges i.e. recession, competitiveness, skills, funding, does the Andalusian region's cluster/company expect to overcome next year?

We are currently collaborating in the design and development of a new Strategic Aerospace Plan in Andalusia, along with executives and professionals of companies comprising all Spanish tier 1 engineering companies and suppliers that make up the sector in Andalusia, in addition to international organisations.

The Aerospace Strategic Plan of Andalusia aims to increase the competitiveness of companies, digitisation towards aerospace Industry 4.0, the incorporation of innovation and technology in the manufacturing processes of aerospace companies, the development of the space industry and defence, the diversification towards products of great added value, the design and the commitment to an education of excellence, the internationalisation and the diversification in markets and clients and, in general, the impulse to the protagonists, tier 1, suppliers and other SMEs that operate in Andalusia.

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