Following the Covid-19 pandemic, the globalized world is still facing the effects of lockdowns and decreased economic activity– and perhaps the most pressing crisis is that of the global supply chain.
Added to the effects of the pandemic, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and political stresses faced by the European Union and the Western world as a whole have led to increased prices for many raw materials, as costs are still expected to rise in the coming months.
This crisis has affected nearly all industries, and the aviation industry is no exception.
“The A&D sector was already in a complex situation due to the impacts deriving from COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine is, in fact, introducing further critical issues on the market and on the global supply chain.
We expect strong increases in production costs (energy, labour, raw materials), changes in demand, and an increase in procurement times,” explains Paolo Graziano, CEO of Magnaghi Aeronautica (MA Group).
According to Mr Graziano, the Group has faced some difficulties in finding some raw materials necessary for the business, as all industrial sectors have faced in the last couple of years.
“The situation depends on the geopolitical situation, and we hope to return soon to be able to work with more serenity from this point of view,” he adds.
Nonetheless, MA Group has managed to reduce the impact of this ongoing crisis with new projects. One key announcement was the partnership between MA Group and Lilium, a contract for the development, manufacturing, and qualification of the nose and main landing gear structures for the Lilium Jet.
MA Group will tailor the landing gear system for the Lilium Jet’s unique design and will contribute to achieving the take-off and landing comfort performances of the emission-free aircraft.
This agreement marks a significant evolution in MA Group’s global landing gear solutions within the regional electric air mobility market.
“We are very honoured and proud to count Lilium among our customers. We share Lilium’s vision of the huge potential of the Urban Air Mobility segment, which will bring a new age of commercial transport.
Our effort consists of continuously offering our capabilities, investments, heritage, and expertise, and constantly developing our skills by anticipating market demands and needs and by working closely with our customers to integrate our solutions into their programs,” stated Giorgio Iannotti, MA Group SVP Business and Product Development.
The current economic scenario for the globalized economy is riddled with challenges, but MA Group firmly believes that these challenges can be overcome with proper planning and inventiveness. This is why Magnaghi Aeronautica (MA Group) was awarded the recognition as Top Employer 2023 in Italy.
“The secret is Italian resourcefulness, a quality that has made our country great in the past, which is part of our tradition and which we represent today. 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.
Often, our international customers are surprised when they discover that we are Italian and Neapolitan: they do not understand how this is possible. Then, when they get to know us and realize our potential and our value, they are amazed.
Furthermore, our size allows us to maintain the agility, speed, and dynamism typical of medium-sized companies: fundamental characteristics in today’s market, although they are foreclosed to larger companies,” comments CEO Paolo Graziano.
MA Group, the operating parent company of five leading companies in the aerospace industrial segment, designs and manufactures hydraulic and electro-mechanical landing and actuation systems for fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, civil aviation, and defence.
Apart from Magnaghi Aeronautica, the Group includes Salver, which develops and produces aerospace structures made of advanced high-performance composite materials.
