Formed from the wreckage of Fokker in the late 1990s, engineering consultancy ADSE is an example of a successful entrepreneurial start-up that has mined the former airframer's deep heritage in design and manufacturing.
Based near Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, ADSE was founded in 1996 by a team of professionals from Fokker's design, integration and engineering departments. Today it employs 70 mostly engineers and turns over a "fast-growing" €8.8 million ($11.9 million), says one of its partners Jan Verbeek.
Although it works across the transport, defence and security sectors, aerospace represents at least half and "sometimes up to 80%" of its business, and cabin design and avionics are its "core competences".
Clients have included Airbus, Boeing, Diehl, Embraer, Jet Aviation and Ruag. One of its biggest current projects is working with Mitsubishi on the cabin design of the MRJ regional jet. The company also works directly for operators.
ADSE's main advantage is that it can source work from a manufacturer at critical periods of a programme in a highly flexible way because of its size, says Verbeek. "When the manufacturer realises he doesn't have the capacity to design, integrate that design and take it to certification, we are here to fill the gap," he says. "We call what we do 'make it work consulting'."
Formed from the wreckage of Fokker in the late 1990s, engineering consultancy ADSE is an example of a successful entrepreneurial start-up that has mined the former airframer's deep heritage in design and manufacturing.
Based near Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, ADSE was founded in 1996 by a team of professionals from Fokker's design, integration and engineering departments. Today it employs 70 mostly engineers and turns over a "fast-growing" E8.8 million, says one of its partners Jan Verbeek.
Although it works across the transportation, defence and security sectors, aerospace represents at least half and "sometimes up to 80%" of its business, and cabin design and avionics are its "core competences".
Clients have included Airbus, Boeing, Diehl, Embraer, Jet Aviation and Ruag. One of its biggest current projects is working with Mitsubishi on the cabin design of the MRJ regional jet. The company also works directly for operators.
ADSE's main advantage is that it can insource work from a manufacturer at critical periods of a programme in a highly flexible way because of its size, says Verbeek. "When the manufacturer realises he doesn't have the capacity to design, integrate that design and take it to certification, we are here to fill the gap," he says. "We call what we do 'make it work consulting'."
Source: Flight International
