The companies associated to Hegan go back to grow in 2012

The optimistic forecasts of the companies associated in the Cluster of aeronautical sector component manufacturing sector component manufacturing sector component manufacturing and Space of the Basque Country, Hegan, have confirmed and the sector has continued his growth of turnover and employment during the year 2012, in the frame of a world-wide crisis so long with consequences that affect to a lot of people, to which the Association expresseses a sincere feeling of solidarity.

The results registered in the sector test that in spite of the international economic uncertainty, continues advancing the use of the aeroplane like half of transport. The aeronautical sector component manufacturing sector component manufacturing industry of Euskadi is knowing to take advantage of the demand of the sector and consolidating his position in an intensive sector in innovative technologies and growth on a long-term basis and goes back to claim his tractor trucks paper in the Basque economy when fulfilling, inside the industrial tradition of the country, with being a sector of future, skilled, sustainable, advanced and diversified; and able to transfer this knowledge to the rest of the productive industry.

Although the traffic of commodities descended 1,5% in 2012, for the traffic of passengers has been a good exercise, with a growth of 5,3% compared with 2011, according to the data of the International Association of Aerial Transport (IATA). Also it has been a new record year for the big manufacturers of commercial aeroplanes regarding the number of deliveries and new contractings. Airbus and Boeing delivered between the two almost 1.200 aeroplanes –specifically 1.189 aircraft-, 178 aeroplanes more than in the previous year, whereas Embraer and Bombardier delivered jointly 155 regional aeroplanes and 278 aeroplanes of businesses. Regarding new contractings, Airbus and Boeing registered in this period 1.791 requests, a very high figure although lower that the one of the 2.224 aeroplanes hired a year before.

The partners of Hegan attained a solid growth of the turnover of 11,6% until reaching the 1.584 million euros, a growth promoted by the takeoff of the rhythm of production in different programs in which they participate the Basque companies. By geographic areas, the plants situated in Euskadi registered a turnover of 767 (with an increase of 8,8%), the factories implanted in the rest of the State, 641 million euros (with an increase of 14,7%) and the factories implanted in the rest of the world attained 176 million euros (with a growth of 14,3%).

By subsectores, structures experiences a growth of 15% and realizar a global turnover of 849 million euros in this period (54% of the total), followed of motors, with a heave of 12% and 621 millions. By his part, the subsector of systems and equipment reached the 64 millions and the space has kept in 50 million euros.

The excellent wallet of requests of the big manufacturers of aeroplanes, fundamentally by the wide geographic origin of this, that reflects a strong growth in the areas of Asia-Pacífico and Orient Next, represents a good platform for the growth of the companies of Hegan in the future.

The projection of these manufacturers aims that the world-wide economy and the aerial traffic will increase. According to the forecasts of Airbus, in 2013 expects that the gross requests of aeroplanes situate around 700 aeroplanes. At the same time, the deliveries of the aeronautical sector component manufacturing sector component manufacturing consortium European “would have to continue growing, until situating between 600 and 610 aeroplanes”, some 10 or 20 aeroplanes more than in the previous exercise. By his part, the forecasts of Boeing to beginnings of year situated between 635 and 645 aeroplanes, some 34 or 44 aeroplanes more than in 2012.

Along this exercise expects the first flight of the To350 XWB, with the back entrance in production of the aeroplane. “The To350 XWB will be one of the big motors of the industry in Spain, with 11% of the load of work in our country”. The first delivery will produce in 2014, and expects that they build 10 monthly aeroplanes from 2018.

After the stop ocasionado by the batteries, Boeing has recovered the previous rhythm of construction of 5 aeroplanes/month and projects to reach a production of 10 aeroplanes/month at the end of the year. In group, the American manufacturer could build 84 B787 ‘Dreamliners' in 2013. It expects also that Airbus deliver this year the first four units of the aeroplane of transport To400M, to happen to 10 in 2014 and to 25 in 2015, whereas the device CSeries of Bombardier will initiate from 2014 a process of manufacture more intense.

In this frame, and in spite of the world-wide recession, the companies associated in the Cluster Hegan foresee a moderate growth of the turnover, situated around 5% and will continue growing in 2014 and in successive years with the increase of production of new programs. Also there are forecasts of growth of employment, although they will be a bit lower.

Between the challenges of the sector finds the need of access to new sources of financials to do a gap in the new programs. The priorities of the sector consist in developing the participation in current programs of efficient form and generate resources to be able to increase the participation in new programs to diversify risks and ensure the growth. The international expansion presents like an opportunity that allows to work with a mix of coins, what reinforces the competitiveness of the companies and favourable the approach to the American markets and Asian.

Hegan, in spite of the situation of economic crisis, has registered an increase of employment of 4,1% for all the centres of the companies associated, situating in 12.059 the places of work generated of direct form by the sector until the actuality. This growth of the employment no only produces in the international strategic locations set up to follow to his customers, as it occurred in previous exercises, but it produces in all the geographic zones.

Like this, the employment in Euskadi is a third of the total. In 2012 it has hired all over the world almost 500 professionals, of which 43% correspond to the plants situated in the Basque Country, surpassing the figure of 4.000 employees (5,3% more than in 2011).

Some milestones of 2012

Like milestones produced the past year between the partners of Hegan fits to mention the big tractor trucks repercussion for the consolidation of this sector as they are the entrance with strength in the new programs PW1000G and KC-390, of Pratt & Whitney and of Embraer, respectively, “that expand of a very different form the wallet of programs and markets of aircraft in which they participate our companies”.

The engine GTF, in which ITP participates like partner to risk will have applications in the market for the Japanese aeroplane Mitsubishi Regional Jet, the Russian Irkut MS-21, the Canadian C-Series of Bombardier, two new models of the Brazilian Embraer and the NEO of the family 320 of Airbus. The introduction in this engine supposes a strategic challenge since it supposes to access to the manufacture of aeroplanes of only corridor, a segment in which the Basque sector was not too represented. In the case of the new program KC-390 of Embraer, Aernnova has entered with an agreement to design, develop, realizar the tooling, the prototypes, the certification and the manufacture of all the components for flaps, ailerons and rudder, with the utilisation of technology of composites HLU. And Aciturri, like partner to risk, will realizar the package Wing Fuselage Fairing (WFF) for this future aeroplane of transport.

Likewise, stands out in this period the continuous development of the Tier 2 and his constant diversification of customers and programs, as well as the growth of the number of plants in the outside that add already 20 locations, two more than the past year. Like this, the partners of the cluster are situated in Germany, Brazil, China, United States, India, Malta, Mexico, Portugal, United Kingdom and Romania.

Evolution of the exports

Source: Hegan. Data in million euros