Premium Aerotec, the former German aerostructures arm of EADS, is setting its sights on capturing a major share of tier 1 contracts on next-generation narrowbodies from Airbus and Boeing.

The carbonfibre composites specialist is at its first Paris air show as an independent brand, after being spun off by the European aerospace giant in January. It followed the collapse of attempts to secure private-sector suitors for EADS's German and French structures divisions.

Although Premium Aerotec - like its French counterpart Aerolia - is still 100% owned by EADS, it is aggressively pursuing third-party work, says chief executive Hans Lonsinger.

However, any serious push is likely to have to wait until Airbus and Boeing invite tenders for successors to the A320 family and 737, which is likely around the middle of the next decade.

In the meantime, 99% of the Augsburg-based company's work will remain on products from Airbus, Airbus Military and Eurofighter, for which it builds all centre fuselages for German, Italian, Spanish and UK aircraft.

Earlier at the show it concluded a $500 million deal to supply the aft pressure bulkhead and floor grid for the A350 XWB. Premium Aerotec also builds structures for the Boeing 737 and Dassault Falcon business jets on behalf of first tier suppliers Vought and Latécoère.

"In 10 years time we would expect 30% of our business to be with outside customers, with single-aisle aircraft as well as unmanned air vehicles and business jets being the big drivers," says Lonsinger.

"We want to play the same role as Spirit AeroSystems [the former Boeing structures plant in Wichita] which is a major supplier on the A350."

Premium Aerotec has three production facilities - the former EADS plant at Augsburg near Munich and factories at Nordenham and Varel in northern Germany, which had been part of Airbus. Merging the three operations into one business was made easier by the fact that Augsburg was already a semi-autonomous arm within EADS, says Lonsinger.

A full divestment of Premium Aerotec and Aerolia is still a long-term objective of EADS, he says, although the current financial crisis makes that "impossible". Besides, EADS has an agreement with unions to retain at least 51% of the business until the end of 2011. "After that they will certainly think about it," says Lonsinger.

"Until then, our mission is to create a real company and to create value," he says. "We want to print our name on the wall of the Paris air show, show off the capabilities of the 6,000 staff who are proud of what they do, and secure the future of our carbonfibre technology."

Source: Flight Daily News