When it comes to aerospace in Italy, most of the action is in the north around the major cities of Genoa, Milan and Turin, with Rome also an important centre. But the two southern regions of Campania - centred on Naples - and Apulia (Puglia) on the southern Adriatic coast are determined to put their industries on the map with a drive - backed by the regional authorities - to publicise the competencies of their aerospace clusters and their openness to investors.
Although most of Italy's big players - including Finmeccanica and its main businesses - are headquartered elsewhere, the two southern regions have large production plants for Alenia, AgustaWestland and Selex Systemi Integrati, as well as engine maker Avio. The regions are also home to a number of fast-growing independent suppliers and engineering companies, such as Aerosoft, Dema, Magnaghi and Salver. Campania and Apulia have substantial space sectors and the Naples area boasts general aviation manufacturers Oma Sud, Tecnam and Vulcanair.
Campania's aerospace industry began before the First World War and today ranks third in terms of the size of its sector, behind Lombardy and Piemonte, representing about a quarter of the €8 billion ($12.8 billion) Italian aerospace industry. There are about 10,000 employees working for 29 "core" companies and some 120 smaller suppliers, according to the regional government, which promotes the cluster under the Campaniaerospace banner.
Alenia builds the fuselage of the ATR 42/7 as well as the C-27J in the region - and most of the smaller suppliers rely on the airframer. But although manufacturing of aerostructures is the dominant activity, the city of Caserta also hosts the Italian aerospace research centre, Cira, as well as institutions specialising in composites, microgravity and microelectronics. Other companies, including Piaggio and Aerosoft have research and development facilities and the region has five universities offering aero engineering degrees.
Because of its low income levels compared with much of Italy, Campania qualifies for Objective One funding from the European Union. This helps the regional and national governments offer a series of incentives to foreign companies investing in the area, ranging from tax credits for employment growth to funding for new product development.
On the opposite coast, stretching down Italy's "heel", Apulia claims to be the fourth largest but fastest growing aerospace region, part of a wider economic success which is likely to see it shortly lose its Objective One status. With an aerospace sector around half the size of Campania's in terms of turnover, the region has about seven large manufacturers and 43 SMEs, with a total workforce of some 5,000, concentrated in the Adriatic ports of Bari and Brindisi, but with a number of businesses around Taranto and Foggia.
Like Campania, it has benefited from the success of Finmeccanica companies, in particular Alenia and AgustaWestland, which has fed through the supply chain. Alenia builds 787 fuselage sections at its factory at Grottaglie, while AgustaWestland's Brindisi unit builds structures for the AW109, AW139 and AW101 among others. Components for the General Electric GEnx and the Ariane 5 launch system are made by Avio in Brindisi.
The Apulian Aerospace District is a trade association set up six years ago with regional government support to promote the cluster. Like Campania and counterparts throughout Europe and beyond, it has done this by taking delegations to and hosting pavilions at major air shows including Paris and Farnborough. The aim of the body is to "give an identity to the region and create a network of suppliers", says its president Giuseppe Acierno. "We want to let people understand that in this region there are businesses operating in a global market."
Source: Flight International
