Members of HEGAN registered employment growth close to 3%

Members of HEGAN registered employment growth close to 3%
Members of HEGAN registered employment growth close to 3%

The member entities of the Basque Country Aeronautics and Space Cluster (HEGAN) have continued to create jobs and increase turnover and exports, with uninterrupted growth over the last 10 years.

The aggregate turnover of the members was 2,457 million euros, an increase of 1.32% from 2017, and direct employment grew by 2.8% to 14,856 people, with strong growth at Basque plants.

This data was presented by the president of HEGAN, Carlos Alzola (CEO of ITP Aero), and the managing director of the Association, Ana Villate, at the press conference held after the Members General Assembly.

In terms of employment growth, the figure for plants in the Basque Country is slightly higher than the global figure, with an increase of 3.4% with respect to 2017. Total female employment was 21.9%, with 3,250 women working in the Cluster, almost half (49.1%) of which are in highly-qualified posts, such as engineers and managers. This ratio is even higher in the Basque Country, with women making up 24.3% of the workforce in the sector.

Exports for the period were €1,630 million, up 1% on the previous year and making up 66.3% of the total sales figure. The main destination of the products and services of Cluster Members is the United Kingdom, followed by Germany, France and the United States, which among them account for three-quarters of these exports.

Investment in R&D for the period was €143 million. We would like to highlight the considerable effort of our Members in adapting facilities, management and people to Industry 4.0 and their involvement in the Basque Industry 4.0 Strategy. HEGAN Members participated in a total of 207 R&D projects at European, state and regional levels throughout 2018.

In terms of R&D, the Clean Sky programme is highly significant to Basque industry, since it makes up a considerable part of its R&D funding. It is also a gateway for collaboration with major players in the European industry. Highlights include the participation of nine HEGAN partners in Clean Sky 2 as Core Partners and the growth of projects and the number of companies involved in the CFAA (Aeronautics Advanced Manufacturing Centre), which drives part of the manufacturing process development projects in the engine sector.

Global air traffic is expected to maintain its activity and continue growing at average levels of 4.5% per year during the next two decades. It is estimated that more than 37,000 new airliners will be needed between now and 2037. In this stable environment, the Members of the Basque Aerospace Cluster expect an overall increase of 4% in aggregate turnover and 1% growth in employment for 2019.

www.hegan.com

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