The main forecast for the aeronautical business is that the World demand Regarding new aircraft, it is increasing by between 4% and 5% each year. The challenges and trends that will mark our future will determine A big change in our industry. Major companies like Airbus and Boeing have no intention of investing in entirely new aircraft platforms in the coming years. This is a situation that has never happened before in history.
In the near future, the real challenge will not only be to become more international, but also to expand into other sectors.
Europe is one of the two most important aeronautical centres in the world, with Toulouse and Hamburg being the main regions. As Europeans, our most important strength is that We cover the complete lifecycle of an aircraft and we have skills and know-how in many areas of aircraft manufacturing. On the other hand, one of the greatest weaknesses is that over the last decade Europe has focused mainly on providing products and services to its own enormous original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), without being able to advance in that area beyond that. In fact, The problem of internationalisation it is the biggest challenge that we are facing in the European aviation industry, as we haven't done enough about it. Right now, we need to work on this process in a more specific way. There are possibilities to be more international if we all work hard together to achieve it. However, there are also companies that are already more open and international and have found their niche in the market not only in aircraft manufacturing but also in airlines. SMEs must change their supply chain to find a market gap. They must reorganise themselves in a different way and new collaborations and agreements must be signed. What is very interesting, from my experience, is that, in general, Innovation is more present in small companies than in larger companies..
Regarding European aeronautical engineering, the number of companies developing aircraft will decrease. In turn, large companies like Airbus and Boeing will need to produce more efficiently that at present, to be able to face new competitors arriving from the Asian world, who are growing more and more. And being more efficient means having the capacity to automate and improve production. Here we face another challenge.
The role of the clusters Europeans it will be more important than in recent years. For two reasons: firstly, that they can play a key role in the internationalisation process by bringing together different companies from different countries; secondly, that it is much easier Colaborate if we can organise ourselves into clusters. Even the EACP (European Aerospace Cluster Partnership), along with other European clusters, can play an important role in enabling companies to be more international and create a network between aeronautical clusters and clusters of other technologies. I must say that in Europe our approach to cluster is more advanced than in the United States. This cluster culture began some years ago and has been built on a regional level. Now, this culture is becoming more “European” and more international. In the near future, the real challenge will not only be to become more international, but also to expand into other sectors.
The European aerospace industry has become more competitive. This can be achieved by offering European programmes and services to other aircraft original equipment manufacturers located in Canada or Brazil, and to emerging markets such as China and Japan. Our industry has the knowledge to encompass all elements of an aircraft.structures, aerodynamics, systems, interiors and engines. We are one of the world leaders in these fields.
Franz Josef Kirschfink
Chief Executive Officer of Hamburg Aviation
European Aerospace Clusters Partnership Coordinating Office
