“We’re wired the same way. “ With his outspokenness, Gérard Russo, cofounder and president of Ventana, an SME founded in Narcastet (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), explains the reasons which push him to “marry” to Nexteam Group, a factory located in Marmande (Lot-et -Garonne). “Our two companies are managed in the same way, and we share common values, such as attachment to our employees”, boasts the manager of this company specializing in mechanical welding, mechanics and the foundry of engine parts and structures for the British Rolls-Royce and the American Pratt & Whitney.
Another point in common: affected by the crisis linked to Covid-19, which has pinned the planes to the ground, the two suppliers have suffered a drop of more than 30% in their turnover. This capital merger, subject to the approval of the Competition Authority, should give rise to a major subcontractor. This new entity will have a total of 2,400 employees and will be present in eight countries with twenty-two industrial sites. “It’s not bad, it’s starting to do”, welcomes Frédéric Gentilin, Deputy CEO of Nexteam Group, which has two main customers, Airbus and Safran.
This union of reason is above all economic: the customers will be more numerous, and the range of trades extended. “We will be able to respond to calls for tenders and invest”, says Russo. Occitania lives to the rhythm of reactors. And it is the Airbus engine that gives it the tempo. From July, the manufacturer shows promising signs of rebound, raising the production rates of its best-seller A320: from 45 units per month from the last quarter, it will increase to 64 monthly aircraft from June 2023. With these forecasts, c t is a whole sector that breathes. Because in 2019, aeronautics supported 700 companies and 110,000 employees.
“We are relaunching the industrial machine”
To anticipate this takeover, Mecachrome, a manufacturer of structural parts and aircraft engines, whose head office is now in Blagnac (Haute-Garonne), near the principals, has bought Hitim, an SME which produces for Safran for landing gear axles and aircraft engine shafts in Annecy (Haute-Savoie) and Roanne (Loire). “Its market positioning was interesting for us, because we were not in this sector”, comments Christian Cornille, the president, who examines “Targets” to redeem them. “Taking over companies is a way to gain strength and concentrate our strengths. We are relaunching the industrial machine and we are looking into the future. “
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