The rising cost of raw materials is a major challenge currently faced by nearly all Western economies. The factors that have contributed to this state of crisis for many industrial sectors are numerous, including the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic effect of lockdowns and decreased industrial and economic activities as well as geopolitical crises such as the ongoing war in Ukraine.
For the British market, the effects of Brexit on the UK supply chain are also a key factor behind the current raw materials crisis, and the cost of materials is still expected to rise in the coming months of 2022.
Despite these challenges, many companies have been able to maintain growth, announcing new projects, partnerships and exciting prospects for the near future. Such is the case of Magnaghi Aeronautica (MA Group). MA Group, the operating parent company of five leading companies in the aerospace industrial segment, designs, manufactures hydraulic and electro-mechanical landing and actuation systems for fixed and rotary wing aircraft, civil aviation, and defense. Apart from Magnaghi Aeronautica, the Group includes Salver, which develops and produces aerospace structures made of advanced high performance composite materials.
The company has recently announced a partnership with Airbus Helicopters. One of most innovative aircraft in development at Airbus Helicopters in Marignane, France, is the high-speed compound helicopter currently involving 42 partners in 13 European countries.
Optimised for a max cruise speed of more than 400 km/h (the average of current in-service helicopters can reach a top speed up to 260 km/h), RACER aims to achieve the best compromise between speed, cost-efficiency, and mission performance while greatly contributing to lower its operational carbon and acoustic footprint at the same time.
MA Group is an active part of this amazing journey with a specific “clean sheet” Landing System design, developed and qualified in an international partnership under the frame of the European Research Clean Sky 2 program.
The Landing System integrated inside the H/C Wing and Fuselage, featuring innovative composite doors flushing the aerodynamic wing profile, was conceived to significantly reduce drag and noise when retracted especially during high-speed missions while providing a large wheel track for safe landing when extended.
“Peculiar shock absorbers design will allow the helicopter to land and take-off safely from the helideck during rescue operations. One of the special missions for which this platform and its landing system are being developed” says Pietro Persico – MA Group Engineering, Research, and Lab Test Director.
While the final assembly of the RACER Demonstrator is progressing fast at the Airbus Helicopters facility in Marignane, Main and Nose Landing Gears looks in great shape and ready for the first flight planned by the end of 2022.
This partnership with Airbus Helicopters is just one example of the successful growth strategy of MA Group’s CEO Paolo Graziano, whose expertise has led the company to enter exciting new projects despite the ongoing materials crisis which has affected the aviation industry as it has most sectors of the globalized economy.
“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,” explains CEO Paolo Graziano.
Moreover, MA Group’s focus on maintaining high-level talent has been one of the company’s strongest growth drivers amid this global crisis scenario. This recognition of the importance of human capital is what led to Magnaghi Aeronautica (MA Group) being awarded the recognition as Top Employer 2022 in Italy.
“Human capital is essential for us: after all, technology without the competence of the technician to supervise it is useless. We not only have engineering technologies and processes that represent the state of the art in our sector, but also highly qualified technicians. One of our secrets is therefore a vertical conception of excellence: every single aspect of the production process, every single component has an equal importance, in a constant search for uncompromising quality,” concludes Paolo Graziano.
