As the raw material crisis carries on, it is expected that the British car industry will miss its million-vehicle target as semiconductor chips are having their production halted. Compared to 2021, UK manufacturers have produced over 95,000 fewer vehicles in the first half of 2022 as reported by SMMT.
But in spite of such concerning news, in the aeronautic industry, firms like Magnaghi Aeronautica (MA Group) are thriving with the expansion of their catalogue and acquisitions. Awarded with the recognition as Top Employer 2022 in Italy, the Italian company is specialised in the design, certification, production and subsequent marketing of landing gear systems, equipment, hydraulic and electronic systems and systems for aerospace use.
It has recently entered the British aerospace market with the acquisition of Five Valleys Aerospace. According to Alberto de Benedictis, Magnaghi (UK) chairman, the United Kingdom aerospace market offers “major opportunities” for the company, and this recent acquisition is just the first step in their “journey to become a major player in the market as a supplier of engineering capability and components”.
Founded in Naples, the company is inspired by the craftsmanship of Neapolitan tailors when delivering quality, innovation and competitiveness in the industry. “It is thanks to the combination of resourcefulness, technical skills and technological research that a midsize company like ours competes with enormously larger American or Chinese companies,” shares Paolo Graziano, CEO of Magnaghi Aeronautica (MA Group).
Together with Lilium, Magnaghi Aeronautica (MA Group) is developing, manufacturing and qualifying landing gears for the Lilium Jet. The agreement marks a significant evolution in MAGROUP’s global landing gear solutions within the regional electric air mobility market. As a leading manufacturer in the field, the company will contribute to achieving the take-off and landing comfort performances of the emission-free aircraft designed by Lilium.
As stated by Giorgio Iannotti, MA Group SVP Business and Product Development, MA Group shares Lilium’s vision of the huge potential of the Urban Air Mobility segment, which will bring a “new age of commercial transport”. The group is now concentrating on continuously offering their capabilities, investments, heritage and expertise. “We are also constantly developing our skills by anticipating market demands and needs. By working closely with our customers, we are able to integrate our solutions to their programs more efficiently”, he explains.
In other news, MA Group has also announced that they are working on the development of one of the most innovative aircrafts at Airbus Helicopters in Marignane, France. This is a high-speed compound helicopter that is being developed in partnership with other 42 initiatives and 13 European countries. Named RACER, the aircraft is optimised for a max cruise speed of more than 400 km/h – almost twice as much as the average of current in-service helicopters, which can reach a top speed up to 260 km/h.
RACER was designed to meet the best charts in speed, cost-efficiency, and mission performance while also greatly contributing to lower operational carbon and acoustic footprint produced by other ships of its kinds. MA Group is an active part in this journey with its “clean sheet” Landing System design, a project developed and qualified in an international partnership under the framework of the European Research Clean Sky 2 program.
With three offices in Italy, two in the United States and one in Brazil, Magnaghi Aeronautica (MA Group) has been very successful for the past two decades: from 2000 to 2020, revenues went from € 19m to € 91m. To date, the group has eight factories in four continents and employs over 900 workers. MA Group has designed and built landing gear and aero structures for over 35 military and civilian aircraft. It is also involved in more than 20 military programs apart from all other civilian projects.
