Matra-Marconi Space and proposed partner Daimler-Benz Aerospace (Dasa) want to widen pan-European space-industry co-operation to encompass alliances with France's Aerospatiale and Alenia of Italy.
The planned Matra-Marconi/ Dasa joint venture is keen to expand existing bilateral collaboration with state-run companies Aerospatiale and Alenia to compete more effectively against the USA. The move is intended to lead to the possible establishment of a single European space industry in the longer term.
"We've always said we are too small in Europe to have a second competitor," says Matra-Marconi Space director-general Armand Carlier. He adds: "We can have strategic alliances based on centres of excellence. We are open to this approach with Aerospatiale-and have already had positive feedback from Alenia".
There already exists some co-operation between individual companies and the partners hope to expand this into "win-win co-operation" in other areas of platform and payload activities. According to Carlier, Matra-Marconi Dasa would be interested in shared use of sites, such as Aerospatiale's Cannes satellite-integration plant.
The future of Aerospatiale as a state-run company and wider planned consolidation of the French aerospace industry remains unclear, following the election of a new socialist Government. The previous administration had intended to privatise Aerospatiale and Thomson-CSF, but this now appears to be in doubt.
Matra-Marconi Space still remains interested in taking a stake in Aerospatiale's space business. "If the state wants to privatise Aerospatiale-we would be very please to play a role," says Carlier.
The Anglo-French company hopes, in the meantime, to complete its planned merger with Dasa's space-systems division by the end of the year, after recently beginning the process of due diligence. The three joint-venture shareholders plan to establish a new supervisory board, with the chairman appointed from Matra's parent Lagardère group.
A new, four-man management board will also be created, with GEC-Marconi, Matra, Dasa and Dornier each appointing an executive. Matra-Marconi Dasa plans to form a fully integrated company, eliminating where necessary any duplication in capabilities and increasing its overall satellite-content share from 60% to 70%.
"We've achieved a 30% reduction in costs over the last three years and we still have a lot to gain-The goal is to create a very competitive company of around 8,000 people and slightly less than $3 billion sales," says Carlier.
Source: Flight International
