Welcome to 2023!
Steffen de Vries - CEO
Aeronamic is once more ready to push limits. For 2023, we started strong after the challenges that everyone in the world had to face. Our CEO Steffen de Vries talks about how we at Aeronamic are okay when things get tough, because we are ready and able to handle them.
A lot of Aeronamic’s activities will tie into our Mission Zero, contributing to sustainability and defense security in the world. In the past year, we laid down the fundamentals for this. We also further expanded our team and organization – right now, we are at full strength. But there is more to be optimistic about, because 2023 will also see us celebrating our 35th anniversary.
Concluding 2022
Steffen: “More and more, we are leaving the challenges of the pandemic behind us. In our home country of the Netherlands, MRO activities are still recovering – we are now at half of our previous level of activities. But luckily for us and many in our industry, business is steadily on the rise. The number of international flights is picking up earlier than expected. The build rate for widebodies is now already at 50% and our work activities on narrowbodies have returned to their original levels. 2022 proved to be successful for us in a number of different ways. We were awarded a grant from the prestigious National Growth Fund and our amazing team were extremely successful in acquiring new orders: Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace and Lilium, to name just a few. What we’ve noticed is how we’re particularly keen on getting the more complex types of orders. Clients know that this kind of work is right up our alley, because they are aware of how our specific strengths can match their level of complexity.”
Exciting new phase
“I personally cannot wait for the next phase at the Woensdrecht Air Base of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Following the qualification process by Lockheed Martin and the U.S. government, we are now truly getting to the fulfillment part of our contract to do maintenance on the PTMS system of the Lockheed Martin-F-35 Lightning II. The cooperation we have experienced so far with the Dutch Royal Airforce has been nothing short of perfect. It has reinforced our belief that we have a strong bond between us that promises a bright future. There will be a total of 160 F-35s built every year and Aeronamic will be doing the maintenance of the PTMS-system for at least all F-35s operating in Europe and the Asia Pacific region, including the American F-35 fleet stationed in Europe. This will be another amazing milestone in our 35-year history.”
Turning our own technology into a product range
“We will also be opening an extra location in the eastern part of the Netherlands. Our own technology is maturing and it deserves a dedicated site. Our product development department of around twenty people, helmed by our VP Engineering Mark Gerber, will be relocating to new premises situated on a former airbase. Our team there will focus on the further development of Aeronamic’s own high speed rotating e-compressor. On the one hand, this will answer the rising demand from the UAM market, but we also know that our technology can unlock a range of possibilities for non-industrial markets. All of these opportunities deserve our fullest attention and our ambition is to eventually launch a complete product range. Our own technology is revealing to us what Aeronamic has in store for the future. In the coming years, our innovations will increasingly contribute to the defense security and sustainable development of our world.” Steffen sums it up by saying: “We are eager to take on what’s coming next. Because whatever it is, we’re ready for it!”
A new year also means a new year of milestones ahead. Do let us know what kinds of blogs and updates you would like to see from us in 2023.