Presentation
The results of the 2013 financial period have confirmed
the positive expectations of the associate companies of
the Aeronautics and Space Cluster Association HEGAN,
with record figures in turnover, exports and employment.
The results of the 2013 financial period have confirmed
the positive expectations of the associate companies of
the Aeronautics and Space Cluster Association HEGAN,
with record figures in turnover, exports and employment.
This favourable development can be seen within the
context of the continued growth of air traffic and the
large order books of aircraft manufacturers, as well as
the diversification of products and markets, the participation
of our companies in new aeronautics programmes
and the adequate response of the entire value chain.
The good work and enthusiasm of HEGAN’s associate
companies in 2013 allowed them to secure an increase
in turnover of nearly 9%, to 1,720 million euros, while
exports passed the 1000 million barrier for the first time.
For the Association, it is especially satisfactory to be
able to speak once again about the creation of jobs, at
a time of great concern about high unemployment rates.
In 2013, employment increased by 3% at all our companies’
work centres, reaching a figure of 12,418 direct jobs
at the end of the financial period - almost 50,000 if we
add the number of jobs created indirectly. Another major
consideration is R&D, which reached 166 million euros.
2013 saw a number of important successes in the global
aeronautics industry, such as the delivery of the first
Airbus A400M and the launching of the Airbus A350XWB
and the CSeries 100 of Bombardier, in which HEGAN’s
associate companies have played an active part.
With regard to our partners, we would like to highlight
the contracts won by Aernnova for the Embraer E2 regional
aircraft and the 505 Jet Ranger of Bell Helicopters
and the contract signed by ITP for the Low Pressure Turbine
of the Trent XWB-97 and the Trent TEN, as well as
the extension of their agreement with Pratt& Whitney
for the PurePower® GearedTurbofan™ family. The Aciturri
and Alestis groups continued their work as first tier
suppliers of Airbus and Embraer, among others; SENER
continued to play a leading role in the space sector and
CTA and the Tecnalia and IK4 corporations maintained
the same level of activity reached in previous years.
The non Tier1 industrial fabric, made up mainly by SMEs,
continued to consolidate their position on the market,
as shown by the significant growth in the percentage of
exports over sales. These increased from 24% in 2012 to
33% in 2013 and their turnover in foreign sales reached
54.5 million euros. In this way, more and more foreign
clients, such as Goodrich, LiebherrAerospace, Messier-
Bugatti-Dowty, Snecma and Turbomeca, have placed
their trust in this highly specialised group of companies,
which will allow them to increase and diversify their activities.
To sum up, we can say that the aeronautics industry of
the Basque Country has been able to take advantage
of the demand in the sector and has been successful
in its efforts to consolidate its position. Moreover, the
exceptional results of the manufacturers of commercial
aircraft in 2013, the number of orders for new aircraft
and deliveries, and the 5% increase forecast for world
air traffic, represent a good platform for the growth of
HEGAN’s associate companies in the future.
As an association, we make every effort to meet the demands
of the sector. In our strategic plan for the period
up to 2016, we detected – among other key challenges
in our attempts to provide our associates with added
value - the need to strengthen the value chain. Several
work groups have developed a presence in this area and
for some this has led to promising projects for the future,
such as the creation of an advanced manufacturing
centre. Others are generating changes of attitude which,
in time, will allow for new client-supplier relationships:
long-term agreements, strategic alliances, temporary associations,
new players, etc. In this way we will attain
higher levels of competitiveness, with everyone’s commitment
and the conviction that in this way we will
make our best contribution possible to the future development
of society.