Premium AEROTEC

Prior to its establishment as an individual entity, the assets of Premium AEROTEC principally existed within the multinational aerospace group EADS.[3] Its independence came as a consequence of several economic factors affecting the business; during 2007, EADS' management decided to respond to events, such a weakening US dollar and the high investment needed by both the Airbus A380 and A350 XWB airliners, by launching a restructuring initiative intended to streamline the group, divest several non-core activities, and cut costs.[4][5] Accordingly, in September 2008, three factories were spun off from EADS to form Premium AEROTEC; from the onset, it operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, which has since been rebranded as Airbus Group.[6] Aerospace periodical Flight International compared the move to Boeing's then-recent spin-off of Spirit AeroSystems.[7]

The newly-formed Premium AEROTEC almost immediately committed to expansion in readiness for the production of forward fuselage sections for the A350 XWB airliner.[8] Additional contracts for work on the A350 XWB programme were also received over the following years.[9][10] In 2009, Airbus announced that, despite the impact of the Great Recession, it would maintain commitments to its suppliers at a steady rate to support them.[11] In June 2010, Premium AEROTEC was reportedly on-schedule for its A350 XWB commitments.[12]

In January 2009, Airbus stated its confidence that its recent spin-offs, including Premium AEROTEC, would be ready to seek out their own partners within three to five years.[13] That same year, Premium AEROTEC was reportedly started to actively seek out additional customers for its products;[14] having positioned itself as a Tier One supplier of aerostructures.[15] During 2012, it was announced that the firm had developed a corrugated wing spar on behalf of the North American aerospace firm Boeing.[16] While the company also performs work for a variety of other aerospace manufacturers, Premium AEROTEC remains closely aligned with the needs of Airbus, which is a leading customer as well as the owner of the firm.[4] During 2014, it was announced that the company planned to employ 3D printing technologies in its regular component manufacturing process within two years.[17]

In April 2018, Premium Aerotec chose to adopt Skywise, Airbus's digital services platform, with the goal of improving its supply chain processes.[18] During early 2020, Airbus recorded a €100m restructuring charge in relation to Premium Aerotec.[19]

Aerotec operates factories in:

• Augsburg, Germany, founded in 1916 by Bayerische Rumpler Werke[20]
• Bremen, Germany, founded in 1905 by Deutsche Schiffs- und Maschinenbau AG
• Nordenham, Germany
• Varel, Germany, founded in 1936 as Motorenwerk Varel; this site includes a close partnership with ThyssenKrupp who provide metal machining and logistics facilities[21]
• Ghimbav, Romania, founded in 2011 as Premium AEROTEC's first factory outside of Germany[22][23]

The Varel and Nordenham sites were former Airbus factories; the Augsburg site belonged to EADS Military Air Systems.

Premium AEROTEC is a tier-one supplier to Airbus; it produces metal components for all Airbus airliners[2] and also award-winning titanium parts for the Airbus A400M[24]

A range of large composite parts are also made:[3]

• Fuselage sections for the Eurofighter Typhoon are made at Varel, and then assembled in Augsburg.[25]
• Fuselage sections for the Airbus A400M;[26]
• Several composite sections of the Airbus A350 are being produced, including the aft pressure bulkhead[12] and a 93 square metre panel for the fuselage[27]
• On behalf of Vought and Latécoère, elements are being made for the Boeing 737 and Dassault Falcon.[14]

• Premium AEROTEC
• Airbus Group