Spain gains ground

AMJune18Features - spain1
AMJune18Features - spain1

The Andalusian aerospace industry plays an important role in the development of major aerospace programmes - a reflection of the work capacity and technology of the companies located in the region. Aerospace Manufacturing reports.

The evolution of the aerospace industry has transformed the sector into a global-structured business with a supply chain that reflects the different countries that now participate. It’s the result of an integration process of different aircraft manufacturers, especially in Europe, which continues with a similar process regarding high-level suppliers or subcontractors.

The Hélice Cluster says that internationalisation is one of the essential pillars in boosting the development of the Andalusian aerospace industry to maintain the growth of service companies in the global aerospace market - notably in those countries or geographical areas which will increase demand in the next few years.

To achieve these goals, it’s important to have an organisational structure and platform from which to defend the interests of companies in the international arena. That is why the ‘cluster’ culture is essential to keep moving forward because together it is stronger.

The commitment of the Andalusian Government for the aerospace sector originated in 2004 via the creation of the Hélice cluster and driven by the Agency of Innovation and Development of Andalusia IDEA. The objective was to promote the development of the aerospace sector in its community and the growth of the companies that are part of it, as well as acting as a catalyst to foster R&D in the sector.

Its main activity has always focused on undertaking actions that promote knowledge, participation and partnership at national and international level between companies and entities from the cluster. It also plays an active role in the transfer of research results and technology to industry and it develops other activities supporting the internationalisation of companies and industry players. Training has also been one of the strengths of Hélice, with the organisation of technical workshops and scientific seminars addressed to aviation professionals.

Competing with the best

In the demanding aerospace sector, it’s necessary to compete with products and services and above all, quality, that meet global requirements, and deliver them on time. It’s also about saving costs because of competing and emerging markets that also manufacture for this industry. In Europe, Hélice has an important technological advantage which differentiates it from the competition and a know-how that it has inherited from a historic aerospace tradition.

Internationalisation is an essential pillar in boosting the development of the Andalusian aerospace industry

The Seville-Cadiz axis is the concentration of most of the cluster's companies - 84 and 21 respectively, to which we must add five in Malaga, three in Jaen, three in Cordoba and one in Huelva. The cluster, highlights the wide industrial fabric of the Andalusian auxiliary industry, which has managed to adapt itself to the demanding requirements of the sector.

Although manufacturing and engineering are the areas that concentrate the greatest number of jobs, the ones that experience the biggest growth are R&D and quality. The Andalusian aerospace companies are aware of the need to continue innovating in order to remain competitive in a highly-demanding market. They increasingly allocate more resources, both human and economic, to research and cooperate with each other in different projects.

Investing in research and innovation is the best way to continue growing in the aerospace industry, which depends on large innovative companies. The Andalusian firms understand, and for this reason they allocate more resources to the development of R&D projects, already counting many of them within their own departments. It’s one of the main formulas in unifying effective strategies that helps the Andalusian aerospace sector keep its competitiveness and international leading position.

The Centre for Advanced Aerospace Technologies (CATEC) is one of the great exponents of research in Andalusia. It’s the only technology centre in Spain dedicated exclusively to the aerospace sector, counting on 60 engineers and doctors working in the most advanced manufacturing technologies. CATEC plays a very active role in advising the Andalusian companies for the implementation of concepts, such as Industry 4.0 and Factory of the Future, with an expertise in its nine years of existence of more than 60 R&D projects developed with Airbus, other companies in the sector and Andalusian SMEs. These companies are already working on the coming challenges that the aerospace sector is making, especially with the digital transformation of its activities to meet the requirements of OEMs.

Unity in the community

Andalusian aerospace companies are committed to the development of research in the community, and most of them are involved in European partnerships to carry out different projects linked to different areas of the aerospace industry. The Spanish Centre for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI) has announced that in the last five years, it has approved 697 projects developed by companies in Andalusia and has managed €453 million, representing 11.25% of the total committed by the CDTI, becoming the third community that has received the most funding in this period. Although it’s true that this figure does not only include the initiatives promoted by the aviation industry, there are many companies in this sector that have CDTI funding to develop their R&D projects. If we take European initiatives, there are many examples of ongoing projects developed in a community led by Andalusian companies.

CATEC is one of the great exponents of research in Andalusia

In addition to the launch of Hélice, the Andalusian government promotes other areas to support the development of the aerospace sector, i.e. the creation of specialised technology centres and parks, such as the Aerospace Technology Park of Andalusia Aeropolis, located in Seville and the Bahia Technology Park in Cadiz (Tecnobahia).

Aeropolis was inaugurated in 2003 and represents the only Technology Park in Europe exclusively devoted to the aerospace industry, and one of the leading exponents of technological development in Andalusia. Aeropolis brings together more than 75 companies involved in international aerospace programmes developed by the world's leading manufacturers.

The Tecnobahía park keeps on growing, too. Comprising three complementary platforms in the Cadiz province: one in El Puerto de Santa Maria (Bahia de Cadiz Industrial Park) and two in Puerto Real (The Trocadero and Las Aletas Industrial Park), there are currently more than 60 companies and organisations in Tecnobahia employing about 1,600 workers. The Junta de Andalusia is working on the expansion of the park, with the objective of having more locations in the province, such as El Puerto, Puerto Real, San Fernando, Jerez and Ubrique, and also diversifying into other sectors such as naval, agri-food or digital industries.

www.helicecluster.com

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