BUSINESS OVERVIEW

Aeroengines

In October, the company opened a new production center in Casablanca, Morocco, which specializes in machining high-precision blades for major aircraft engine platforms.

From an organization standpoint, Aeroengines completed the process of building an independent structure in 2024, which is separate from the aerostructures business and sized according to the scale and requirements of its business and customers.

With a view to its growth and internationalization objectives, in October the company opened a new production facility in Casablanca (Morocco), specialized in the machining of high-precision blades for the main aircraft engine platforms. This operation has allowed Aeroengines to add new technological and industrial capabilities to expand the product and service catalog it offers to the international market.

The company has also continued to invest in its manufacturing centers in Spain and France and has made significant progress in the various projects it is involved in. In this regard, it is worth highlighting the approval of the investment and refurbishment work necessary for the incorporation of plasma and heat treatment technologies in Ircio, which will be fully operational in the second half of 2025.

On the industrial front, in 2024 the team completed the ramp-up of the low-pressure turbine, compressor, and combustor casings it manufactures for business jet engines, enabling them to move into series production.

The Orón factory has incorporated a new five-axis machining center, to which another will be added in 2025, to complete a five-axis milling technology cell with a total of four teams. Orón has also joined the additive manufacturing technology revolution with the acquisition of a laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 3D metal printing machine, a technology it has already used to manufacture the first metal components with innovative designs and complex geometries.

As for Rochefort, the center installed a new brazing oven in 2024 and transferred part of the blade manufacturing process for single-aisle aircraft engine programs to the Casablanca work center, thereby increasing the production capacity of the French plant.

Regarding composite materials technology, the team has obtained FAI (First Article Inspection) and DVI (approval for series production) approval for ducts and FAN panels for single-aisle aircraft engines at the Boecillo manufacturing center.

These new capabilities and the company's growth have been accompanied by significant commercial activity at major industry events such as the Farnborough Air Show in London, ILA Berlin, and ADM Seville, as well as at customer events such as the Rolls Royce Global Supplier Conference in Bristol (UK).

In 2024, the team finished ramping up production of the low-pressure turbine, compressor, and combustor casings for business jet engines. This enabled the transition to series production.

The service and product portfolio of Aeroengines, as well as the pursuit of commercial opportunities, has resulted in new contracts for various Aciturri divisions. Specifically, the Rochefort division won new contracts for low-pressure turbine blades for Safran Aircraft Engines' single-aisle aircraft engines and reached an agreement with Safran to perform X-ray inspections of castings and turbine components for defense engines. Similarly, a contract has been formalized for various turbine components for the M88 engine, as well as an agreement to manufacture honeycomb for the LEAP 1 A engine for the same customer.

The development of the commercial relationship with Safran Aircraft Engines will conclude in 2024 with the signing of an agreement to extend the contract for titanium and Inconel turbine and compressor structures for single-aisle engines.

In the Small Structures and Systems product segment, Aeroengines and Safran Oil Systems signed an agreement to increase the Orón plant's production volume of oil tank components for the PW1000, LEAP 1A, and LEAP 1B engines and to manufacture new oil tank components for the PW2000 and TXWB engines.

The commercial chapter concludes with the addition of Safran Aeroboosters as a new customer for compressor component manufacturing for various programs, an agreement with Safran Aircraft Engines for titanium component production for different modules, and a contract with Aciturri Aerostructures for supplying components for the A320 and A350 programs.