Among the talk of tariffs and political panic, it is easy to miss success stories. There is an important one in France at this time, where the Airbus aircraft manufacturer is flying high. The company is in an almost unprecedented boom period, with a real possibility of establishing ITELF as a world leader in design and manufacture of commercial aircraft.
However, despite this success, and that of other French companies like this, the country has a relatively silent leg to celebrate its success. Why is this exactly and what can we learn from Airbus’s success, both about the French business landscape and opportunities for other aerospace colleagues?
If it’s Boeing, I’m not going
A reason for the lack of attention in Airbus could be the well -advertised thing that has been the problems of its rivals. Several trips of more than two decades have led to the decrease of the current and historical Boeing leader. Many trace the company’s problems to its acquisition of the McDonnell Douglas competitor two decades ago, where much of the leadership team of the smallest company survived the merger. The company’s culture has suffered, with profits that are based on the excellence and innovation of engineering, and the development of new stagnant products.
The real problem began when Airbus launched the A320neo, a highly efficient competitor in the Boeing 737 ng, almost from nothing. Boeing let himself fight to compete, and ended up releasing a repetition or an existing design with larger and more efficient engines. This was the 737 Max, who suffered a famous security problem that led to two fatal accidents. The problems of the organization have only been deepened since then, with reports of low quality control in its supply chain, parts of what had previously been sold to third parties, only to contract the same work.
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On the contrary, Airbus has been a vision of calm and competition over time. Although it has bone without problems, and its approach to the design of airplanes (making intensive use of computers automation) is not for everyone, it is an extraordinary success story and a successful story and a predominantly French. While operating in Europe, Asia and North America, Airbus still extends from its founding city of Toulouse, and undertakes much of its manufacture in the country, in addition to being floated in the Paris Stock Exchange.
It is far from being the only French aerospace success story either. Dassault is an important manufacturer or military plane, with operators or its modern combat planes, including India, Greece, the EAU, Croatia and France itself. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency is based in Paris, with France as its second major taxpayer. The important Aerospace and Defense company Safran is also French, and both TI and Airbus jointly operate Ariangroup, which develops launch vehicles for ESA satellites. Together with its prosperous automotive industry, France is one of the large manufacturing and engineering centers in the world.
Live Air France
So why don’t this celebrate? You believe it or not, in part it can be as shame. Boeing and many other companies in the production vehicles of the aerospace industry for military use, and this side of the companies is not something that some people want to celebrate openly. But the current climate seems prepared for this to change, since Europe seeks to step on and assume part of the United States mantle to defend themselves and their interests.
Another part can be a simple complacency. Many of France’s most successful aerospace companies have existed since World War II, and feel part of the furniture. It is almost tasks for granted that France is good in this, to the extent that no one announces it. Some people could also argue that advertising aerospace successes does not benefit other people much.
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As we have already mentioned, some of these are centenary companies, and the landscape is well established. How much is there to win when they show off? But the reality of the industry and the supply chains that drive it is that these companies do not operate in a vacuum. If cars require hundreds of companies to design and manufacture the many pieces that enter them, an airplane requires many more.
Aerospace for startups
Contrary to the notion that the aerospace is a daring field dominated by centennial companies, the reality is that thesis companies depend on fixed and complex supply chains. The production of an aircraft involves thousands of components, from seats and entertainment systems to advanced accreditation and plane. Many of these components are obtained externally, offering immense opportunities for narrower French businesses. The more you can create in France, the more beneficial it is for companies such as Airbus, and the French economy in general.
French companies, including small and medium enterprises, have real potential to integrate into thesis supply chains through specialization in some key areas. Manufacturing, software development, material science and logistics are fundamental for aerospace projects, and areas where new companies can bring new ideas to the table. It is also an industry in which new companies can find a support point when focusing on avant -garde technology. IA maintenance systems, light compound materials and next -generation battery technologies, all growth growth markets within the industry, and focus areas for the next generation of passenger aircraft.
The French government has also constantly supported innovation in aerospace through subsidies, tax incentives and public-private associations. Programs such as the Relance Retail Plan of France and BPIFRANCE initiatives offer financial support for new innovative companies, and a way of carrying out their ambitions in the aerospace. Regional economic groups such as the Aerospace Valley in the support of Sacrifice of Toulouse, which allows it to collaborate with entrepreneurs of related ideas, sharing knowledge and obtaining access to qualified workers and key connections.
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As sustainability becomes a key approach to the aerospace sector, there is also a growing demand for innovation in alternative fuels and better ways of producing them. Electric aircraft are now a small -scale reality, while sustainable aviation fuel and hydrogen are promising roads for larger airplanes. Finding a way to make the thesis cheaper and more sustainable on scale is one of the great challenges in modern aviation and a great opportunity for the right business.
The aerospace industry is one of France’s great strengths, and it is something that we must shout, partly at a time when exports are under threat. It is also a sector in which there is ample space for France to affirm its domain, and promote a new generation of new innovative aerospace companies.
