On the evening of Friday 14 February, at Leonardo's headquarters, a meeting was held between the national general secretaries of FIM FIOM UILM, Bentivogli, Re David and Palombella, and Leonardo's managing director Alessandro Profumo.
The comparison made it possible to analyze the performance of the aerospace and defense company both in terms of occupational and industrial set-up. The occasion was also useful to discuss the possible post-Brexit repercussions, the trade war between the US and China and what concerns us more closely at the European level after the Franco-German agreement.
The results of the company's financial statements prove to be positive the achievement of guidance objectives with significant performance on orders and revenues.
Employment grew in the whole group with a net increase in the three-year period 2017/2019 with the creation of 4830 new jobs, of which 2519 in Italy: acquisitions are included in the increase. These numbers are obviously the balance between exits and new entries and stabilisations.
“These numbers – he commented Marco Bentivogli, general secretary of Fim Cisl – are a positive signal for the entire national industry and in particular in aerospace and defense, demonstrating how our country has the tools, capabilities and skills necessary to support employment growth in high-end industrial sectors that compete on the market world with the first countries in the world. From an industrial point of view, we register attention and actions that affect the entire panorama of the company's activities”.
HELICOPTERS
Positive situation in workloads. Important civil and military orders have been acquired. There are good commercial opportunities for the AW 609 Tilt Rotor which could see its final certification by the end of this year.
After the merger by incorporation of Sistemi Dinamici which allowed the company to acquire the light remotely piloted helicopter HERO, we believe the very recent acquisition of Kopter Group is important which, in addition to integrating the offer with a single-engine product The SH09 will allow acceleration of the development of hybrid and electric propulsion as well as to attack the world markets starting from the American one. The production of the single-engine helicopter will be developed in Italy and in the USA for the relative markets, which today see over 3000 customers but where Leonardo covers a still low market share and could also be a driving force for the other products of the group.
AIRCRAFT
The situation is stable in the orders of proprietary aircraft - M345, M346 trainers and Fight Attack, C27J - stagnant on ATR. The NACELLES market, which is changing towards the unification of engine-related orders, can and will be acted upon by Leonardo.
"We consider the decision of our country and Leonardo to join the development of the new sixth generation TEMPEST fighter as supporting subjects as positive, it puts the company in a position to be able to participate in the development of new technologies and not only in the mere production of physical parts of the product. The alternative of participating in the Franco-German project would have seen us as non-strategic partners for the project. In any case, we hope that the two projects will converge in perspective”, said Bentivogli.
AEROSTRUCTURES
For this division, important actions have been implemented to recover productivity with the implementation of the LPS method (Leonardo Production System) and will gradually extend to the entire production system. The market continues to be under pressure on prices (which asks for a 2/4% annual discount on the work done...) and investments in processes and systems remain necessary, starting with those relating to the construction of the ATR to improve its performance.
Important market opportunities are present both in the A321 program and from the potential development of the A220 (ex C-Series).
“There is some concern about the reduction in the B787 production rate envisaged by the customer,” comments the CISL metalworkers' representative. However, this is due to the drop in orders for this aircraft. If this situation persists, insourcing actions are being studied to allow the production saturation of the Grottaglie site".
The development of the COMAC C929 program continues, which will bring production and volume effects to the Campania sites.
ELECTRONIC DIVISION
The recomposition under a single division of the "old Selex" activities helps to generate production efficiencies and to develop activities in a linear way starting from the TCS and the development of S3 services, training, after-sales and logistics considered a primary objective also in the plans of the 'agency.
The integration of Vitrociset's skills and activities is being studied both in relation to the San Lorenzo firing range and the Kourou launch base as well as the logistic support activities that already come from this already carried out for AMI.
The Cyber division will be a central element of Leonardo's development which has already begun to show the first results with the establishment of the Leonardo Labs with the aim of equipping the company with a supercomputer and technologies for the management of big data, the development of artificial intelligence and promoting the digitization of products . It will be important to explore how to enhance the current IT areas.
More generally, Leonardo's investment in technological innovation focuses on the creation of enabling technologies, starting from the super computer based in Genoa in order to better process: Artificial intelligence, its own big data and its own business is simulated through avatars digital of all products. These technologies will be decisive on the "autonomous systems" on which the aim is to grow revenues from 2 to 20%.
On the rumors relating to the reduction of the perimeter, continuity is confirmed with the choice of sectors in which to increase or achieve a leadership role and others in which to imagine partnerships. The CEO Profumo, during the meeting, confirmed that there are some absolutely non-transferable business activities.
DEFENSE SYSTEMS
Negotiations have been underway for some time with Thales for the establishment of the European Torpedo Company towards a JV for which negotiations continue between the two groups.
SPACE ALLIANCE / THATHE
The company has confirmed the interest and centrality of this sector and the presence of a constant and continuous dialogue with the French partners of Thales.
“We are satisfied with the results achieved and we believe that Leonardo must continue to be considered an important asset of the country and for this reason defended and supported by the entire country system both from the point of view of investments, starting from those of Defense, and from the point of from a commercial point of view, favoring more and more G2G actions which make it possible to increase the presence of Italian products and technologies in the world. The most ambitious growth plan is concentrated on Telespazio, that is to bring spare parts from 500 million to 1 billion”, said Bentivogli.
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
“The Fim Cisl considers the path that is leading to the final phase of the negotiation on the Group Contract to be positive. Good and innovative negotiation gives stability and trust inside and outside the company. After the closing of the agreement, we believe it is necessary to open a phase two which recovers what was started in the past by the Finmeccanica Protocol and builds a participatory governance in which organized labor is increasingly considered a decisive stakeholder also in the Group's strategic elaboration phase". closed the secretary.
