X-ray of the Andalusian aerospace industry: an emerging sector

Andalusia is the second Spanish region for employment and business in the aerospace industry. An area to which regional governments pay very special attention, and which this year has added another important milestone with the announcement of the establishment of a component factory from the manufacturer Pilatus in Seville.

FIBES Seville opens tomorrow, May 14 Aerospace and Defense Meeting 2024 -ADM Seville-, The choice of the Andalusian capital as the venue for the event, which has already been completed seventh edition, it’s not free. The data supports this option. andalusia It is one of the European regions where the aerospace industry is most relevant. Second Spanish region by sales and employmentArea Airbus is structured aroundHowever in recent years there has been an effort to diversify the customer portfolio so as not to be so dependent on European OEMs.

andalusia business -Ex Extenda-, the Andalusian administration agency that promotes its companies internationally, has a relevant role in this effort to diversify the client portfolio. An example of this effort could be the announcement of the Swiss manufacturer Pilatus will set up a component factory in Carmona (Seville). in statements to TEDAE, Carolina España, Minister of Economy, Finance and the European Fund, On which Andalusia trade directly depends, explained Role of Junta de Andalusia and of andalusia business so finally Pilate chose Seville to establish its aeronautical components factory.

,A project like this takes several months to develop and make decisions. This is a team effort, which we have undertaken with great discretion and professionalism and which will yield great results. Already in 2022 the company had conducted a preliminary analysis on a European scale, The Investment Acquisition unit of Andalusia Trade is in charge of presenting Andalusia as an ideal location for your investment. In January 2023, the company finally chose Spain As a destination for its expansion, the Basque Country, Madrid and Andalusia are the three regions that compete to host this new project,” the consultant announced.

The intra-history of the decision, following the consultant’s statements to TEDAE, had two relevant moments, June 2023 and January 2024. In June last year, the Chairman and CEO of Pilatus met with Juanma Moreno, President of the Junta de Andalusia, Antonio Castro, General Director of Andalusia Trade, and the Councilor himself. There, according to Carolina España, they have already said that the alternative was the Andalusian region, and in January 2024 Pilatus management reported that it had chosen Carmona. ,Once the company had approved the provision of funds for the first phase of the project, which included the rental of an industrial warehouse to begin work during the construction of the final factory, as well as the purchase of land for the Carmona Logistics Park, where the facilities will be constructed”, Spain’s declaration.

decision of Pilate It has been received by the entire sector in a very optimistic way, as it could not be otherwise, which highlights the high capabilities of the Andalusian aeronautical ecosystem as a sure fact for the election of Pilatus. Another major milestone that contributed to the revival of the sector was the election Seville is the headquarters of the Spanish Space Agency. According to experts, a situation that will advance the space sector. Companies dedicated to space represent only 6% of the sector’s total turnover in Andalusia.

One of these experts, Antonio Gómez Guillamón, President of the Andalusian Aerospace Cluster, Andalusia Aerospaceand CEO and Co-Founder ErtecThis is how he explains it to us.

,The achievement of the AEE headquarters in Seville is very important and we have certainly seen how from the beginning of 2023 it has created new dynamism in Andalusia in everything related to the space industry. But it is true that unexpected reasons have emerged such as the departure of the first director, Miguel Bello, who certainly did a commendable job from PERTE Aerospatiale to the creation of the agency, and the general state budget deficit in the very first year of PREPA’s first The work should be like this. In any case, they are temporary situations. Spain finally has a space agency and its headquarters are in Seville, a clear boost for the Andalusian aerospace sector and finally we will get the same fruits that we evaluated when preparing the candidacy of Seville.”says the cluster president.

two axis, 143 companies

But what is this ecosystem like? If we mention this Data collected by Andalusia AerospaceAndalusian Aerospace Cluster, There are 143 companies dedicated to aerospace activity in Andalusia. by the overwhelming majority it is Aerostructures make the section that stands outWith 53 companies dedicated to this activity, the number of engineering and consulting companies is greater – 34 in total, followed by services, logistics, industrial maintenance and training, which total 23, 14 dedicated to equipment and systems, 10 to testing. And are dedicated to technical analysis. , 6 for integration of aircraft, spacecraft and UAVs and 3 for MRO.

In 2022, latest figures published Andalusia AerospaceHe The sector’s turnover stood at 2,356 million euros, still a far cry from the sales achieved in 2019, a year before the pandemic, when the figure reached its historical record with 2,836 million euros. If we analyze this billing by segments, the bottom line would be this: 76 percent of the income corresponds to activities in the aeronautical industry, 17 percent is related to aviation and general aviation, a heading in which the cluster includes MRO companies, crew training Also included are aerial operations, 6 percent for space and 1 percent for UAS and advanced air mobility.

These figures show 1.24% of global Andalusian GDP, and 9.19% of industrial GDP, generate one A total of 13,136 people were employed, of whom 41 percent are university graduates. Regarding the size of these companies, 31% of them fall into the large category, or what is the same, with more than 250 employees or 50 million turnover, 25 percent are micro enterprises, 24% are SMEs and 19% are medium.

In the absence of knowing the results of the year 2023 Antonio Gomez Guillamon Fly News confirms that it has been a good year, although still not down from 2019 figures, ,The pace of recovery in demand for commercial flights in 2023 and increase in orders from manufacturers have come as a surprise. especially airbus”says the cluster president.

As the highlight of the last year Gómez Guillamón makes clear reference to the fact that after a period when the main concern was focused on supply chain problems, the strength of demand for new commercial aircraft now turns this uncertainty towards the difficulty of supply chains adapting to the growth required by OEMs. Is. ,

As for the rest Notable milestones of the past year Gómez Guillamón highlights the following: “The Andalusia Aerospace Cluster has increased the number of companiesE space was partly thanks to the call effect of PREPA in Seville. In airplane and defense programs, Phase 1B of FCAS, but unfortunately this is a program that is not producing the expected tractor effect, everything is moving at a very slow pace and is focused on the people designated as pillar leaders. The new orders for the C295 and the program for this aircraft were also significant for India, which took its first delivery.

In In the first months of 2024, this trend towards recovery has been confirmed, and according to the President of the Cluster, at the end of the year, there is every possibility that the figures of 2019 will be surpassed in both billings and employment., ,reality -he says- Is that all the segments: commercial aircraft, military programs, space and other segments like drones and advanced air mobility; “They are growing and this allows companies to grow with them.”

by provinces, Traditionally, the Seville-Cádiz axis is the one that accumulates the largest number of companies, 104 in Seville and 22 in Cádiz., but in recent years, provinces such as Málaga have increased the number of companies dedicated to the activity, especially in the field of systems, an activity with greater added value. According to programs and customers, Airbus remains the main customer of Andalusian Aerospace Fabrics.

Andalusian puzzles that work

it The Andalusian ecosystem is full of institutions and organizations that work to further strengthen the aerospace sector, New markets are also opening. Andalusia has a powerful university network, with Seville and Cadiz being two university centers that offer training related to the aerospace industry, And it supplies human resources to the industrial sector.

But, There are centers and organizations to support technological development and improvement, such as the Andalusian Technological Center—CTA—which has a specific division dedicated to the aerospace industry, or CATEC, which is Spain’s largest private technological center dedicated to aerospace research.

He The Advanced Center for Aerospace Technologies (CATEC) is a technology center established and managed by the Andalusian Foundation for Aerospace Development (FADA). CATEC’s facilities total 4,500 m2 (3,000 m2 of laboratories and workshops and 1,500 m2 of offices) and its main headquarters is located in the Andalusian Aerospace Technology Park (Aeropolis), the only business space in Europe dedicated exclusively to aerospace, in La Rinconada. Is dedicated to the area. Seville.

CATEC It currently has a staff of over 120 employees, mostly doctors and researchers, whose main degrees are engineering (aeronautical, industrial, telecommunications, materials and computer sciences), physical or chemical sciences. The center has specialized in the development of technologies for medium, small and lightweight UAVs, and works directly on technical projects with leading companies in the field. The field of collaborative and aerial robotics is also prominent.

Gómez Guillamón points out that the Andalusian aerospace ecosystem has managed to become an important driver of growth over the past few years. ,In Andalusia we have Airbus with design, technology and product authority, Andalusian aerospace companies and universities with their research groups., The ecosystem is extremely powerful And the expression that the Andalusia Aerospace Cluster represents multiplies it and allows it to become an actor with international projection. Committed administration is a clear asset, although it is true that a clear desire to support the sector requires greater executive capacity and greater ambition to take advantage of equipment and specific financing for the sector, as stated in the Andalusian Aerospace Strategy Has gone.

But Andalusia wants more, as already demonstrated in the “battle” to capture the headquarters of the Spanish Space Agency. Among the “requests” raised by the president of Andalusia Aerospace: “Of course, many things can be asked of the Andalusian puzzle: an Andalusian pillar leader for FCAS, taking advantage of the technological and industrial base for both Andalusian and national programs that already exists in Andalusia, high-performance RPAS and satellite systems. in both, A clear commitment by Spain and Andalusia in the next European Military Transport Aircraft Program to continue the Airbus San Pablo FAL, creating an ecosystem in advanced air mobility with international status around CEUS and Atlas and the advanced manufacturing center of Cadiz is a reality . They are just some pieces of the puzzle that are not dreams, they are already with us, we just need the will, ambition and executive ability. If it has been done, Returns will multiply the investment, conclusion.