CESA boosts its Services Centre in Seville to secure new contracts in the aeronautical sector
This aeronautical company based in Madrid is looking into the possibility of expanding the facilities of its Services Centre located in Seville on the fAL for the A400M, with the aim of consolidating its activities in the field of comprehensive maintenance of systems and equipment for its main customers in the sector. With this strategy, this company which ended 2009 with a turnover of 48.5 million euros hopes to branch out into new markets and double its turnover for MRO activities in the coming years
Since its creation more than 20 years ago now, one of the key activities of the Madrid-based company CESA in the aeronautical sector has been the provision of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services for its customers.
As the company itself has indicated, the information which this activity provides in the form of feedback regarding the state and evolution of products it designs or manufactures, together with direct knowledge from the users of the systems it works on, have together made MRO a fundamental aspect of CESA’s business strategy. In order to boost the comprehensive services which it offers in the field of MRO, this aeronautical company is looking into the possibility of expanding the facilities of its Services Centre located in Seville on the FAL for the A400M, with the aim of consolidating its activities in the field of comprehensive maintenance of systems and equipment included in its current capabilities list.
In this way it will increase its coverage for products in which it is a market leader in Spain and other systems which, although they are not currently one of its specialities, may enable it to offer a better service to its customers. This Madrid-based firm which specialises in the manufacture and assembly of landing gear and hydraulic systems and equipment undertakes this strategic initiative with the intention of branching out into new markets and doubling its turnover in the coming years for services activities, with the aim of reaching 20% of its total annual turnover in this area. In the 2009 financial year CESA’s total sales reached 48.5 million euros, exceeding the es timations under its operational plan by 7.6% and the turnover for 2008 by 17.9%.
CESA’s Development Engineering activities encompass electromechanical and fluid mechanical systems and equipment, including the design, development, production, certification and comprehensive maintenance of landing gear, flight controls, hydraulic, pneumatic and fuel systems, engine bleed air systems and door and ramp actuation systems. To complement its activities in the field of Development Engineering, CESA has a specific area dedicated to Integrated Logistic Support (ILS) for both civil and military programmes, including generation of all the technical publications necessary for MRO such as maintenance manuals and definition and supply of spare parts, tools and testing equipment. The company also prepares and offers maintenance courses at various levels for civil and military customers throughout the world. In addition, CESA has AOG Desks in the Asia-Pacific zone and the United States which offer immediate 24/7/365 customer service for urgent situations.
Expansion of its services in Andalusia
Three years ago, CESA decided to expand its operations beyond its plant in Getafe, the site of its main headquarters. Taking advantage of the start of the assembly of the A400M in Seville, it won the tender for the EBU (Engine Build Up) of the engines for this military airlifter, which has led it to establish facilities to carry out these works on the FAL at San Pablo Sur. These operations have been expanded to include assembly of the wheels for this aircraft and their fitting out, and more recently the FTC (Flight Test Centre) at Seville and Toulouse. Complementary to the work on the A400M, the CESA Services Centre has carried out other parallel actions on the Cn235 and C295, for which it is currently working on the EBU of the engines, assembly of the propellers and the wheels.
The company is carrying out these activities at its facilities located in Warehouse 14 at San Pablo norte, where it carries out all the MRO activities of the CESA Services Centre. The company’s plants in Getafe and Seville both have quality certification for the aeronautical sector according to En9100, PECAL 2110, EASA Part 145 and EASA part 21 G, as well as FAR 145 Repair Station approval for its facilities in Madrid. These two centres have a common capabilities list as they have a joint Maintenance Organisation Exposition (MOE) which nonetheless ensures due separation of the products exclusive to Getafe, those exclusive to Seville and other common products. Its capabilities list includes categories C01, C04, C07, C08, C12, C14 and C16 of the A380, A340-600, C212, C295, Cn235, Canadair CRJ and IAI Galaxy aircraft; Sikorsky S92 helicopters and CFM 56 and Trent engines.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has recently certified CESA as a Repair Station, which will enable it to work on aircraft with U.S. registration. This is an important milestone for the company which opens up a large sphere of activity in the field of MRO, in addition to the EASA certification which it already possesses to work on European aircraft.
Apart from the equipment included in its capabilities list, CESA carries out MRO work on the systems of the following aircraft, helicopters and engines: EF 2000, A400M, A320, MRTT Tail Boom, Embraer-145, Harrier AV-8B, P-3B Orion, F18, northrop F5, Tiger, Superpuma and EJ200 Engine. Some of the more important jobs which the company is currently working on include the overhaul of the landing gear of the Cn235, analysis for the definition of the overhaul of the F18 landing gear under the supervision of Air Force Headquarters, 1800hour landing gear inspections for the C212 and the overhaul of the propellers for the same aircraft, among others.
RDI, another key area for CESA
Another of the key strategies for CESA is its commitment to RDI and technological advances to differentiate it from its competitors. This includes participation in different programmes over the course of 2009, the results of which may be applied in the medium-term in the sector. Highlights in this sense include the development of support for the primary mirrors and nano-precision positioners of the EELT project (a telescope with a diameter of 42 metres), a new system which will enable the shock absorbers of landing gear to adapt automatically to the characteristics of the terrain, the Sintonia project for the development of innovative technology applicable to UAVs, the complete hydraulic system for the new generation medium-sized Hurkus trainer aircraft, and in the field of fuel cells, an initiative for onboard hydrogen generators on aircraft.
Other key activities include the development of various projects linked with the A400M, along with the contract for the development of the complete landing gear of the new Atlante UAV developed by EADS Defence and Security.
