The Minister of Economy, Finance and European Funds of the Andalusian Regional Government, Carolina España, in her capacity as president of Andalucía TRADE, and the president of Andalucía Aerospace, Antonio Gómez Guillamón, signed a collaboration agreement on May 31 at the headquarters of the public agency to promote the international activity of the Andalusian aerospace industry. With this rubric, Andalucía Aerospace becomes a collaborating entity of Andalucía TRADE for the internationalization actions of a sector in which Andalusia is the community that contributed the most in 2022 to the increase of exports in Spain, with 2,134 million euros of sales abroad, 39% more than the previous year.
Through this public-private partnership, both entities will work together to design international promotion strategies and an annual program of actions, tailored to the sector, to further boost the international business of the Andalusian cluster, coordinating their respective resources, programs and activities.
Andalucía TRADE, Agencia Empresarial la Transformación y el Desarrollo Económico, attached to the Consejería de Economía, Hacienda y Fondos Europeos, has among its functions the realization of promotion and promotion activities that favor the economic and business development of Andalusia, the diversification and valorization of its productive system, including foreign investment and internationalization.
Andalucía Aerospace is a private cluster created to represent aerospace companies in Andalusia and to which M&M Group belongs. One of its main objectives is to contribute to the strengthening and positioning of its member companies in the national and international aerospace market, promoting sustainable technological development and business excellence of the Andalusian aerospace industry through the synergies of member companies and the training and education of professionals in the sector. Andalucía Aerospace has had a great growth of associates, and currently represents 92 companies in the sector.
The Andalusian exporting companies in 2022 were 71, of which 27 (38%) are classified as regular exporters, as they have been exporting for at least four consecutive years. These companies account for 99% of sales abroad.
Andalusia is one of the main aerospace poles in Europe, due to its business ecosystem, turnover, infrastructures and innovation programs, and the only one, together with Toulouse and Hamburg, which has the final assembly plant of a large aircraft, the AIRBUS A400M, which acts as a driving industry for it.
The Andalusian aerospace industry has already reached almost 6% (5.7%) of the GVA (Gross Value Added) of the Andalusian industry and 30.5% of the GVA generated by the aerospace industry in Spain. It brings together 140 companies and generates more than 12,000 jobs. It is a complex industry, at the forefront of technology, with maximum capacity to attract foreign investment projects and to favor the geographical and productive diversification of Andalusian exports.
Link with the companies
The agreement signed today is a step forward in the collaborative relationship maintained to date because, through it, Andalucía Aerospace, is constituted as a “collaborating entity of Andalucía TRADE” for the actions to be set annually between the two entities, exercising, Andalucía Aerospace will play an active role in the selection of these actions and will act as a focal point for the companies of the sector in the development of this internationalization program, which will include direct and reverse trade missions, international fairs and strategic events to consolidate Andalucía as the capital of the aerospace industry in Spain.
With an annual validity and extendable up to four years, both entities are also committed to share information related to companies interested in the internationalization process, as well as data on the sector that can serve as a basis for the design of internationalization strategies or sectoral brands. They will also jointly carry out informative activities, such as conferences and seminars; elaboration of sectorial studies; and organization of international visits.
Through this agreement, Andalucía TRADE will make available to Andalucía Aerospace and its associated firms its training services, information, consulting programs, digitalized services and commercial actions in all markets worldwide, including those covered through its Foreign Network present in 62 markets, and the actions programmed from its geographical areas for America, Asia-Pacific, Africa-Middle East and Europe.
Strategic industrial leadership
The Minister Spain has highlighted the importance of the implementation of this agreement, “for the progress it represents for public-private collaboration, under a common goal, which is to make Andalusia the first autonomous community in exports in Spain, something that corresponds to the level of projects that are developed in our land, such as the final assembly of Airbus A400M.
Carolina España highlighted the resilience of a sector that suffered a paralysis like few others during the pandemic, and that already “in 2022 has demonstrated its capacity for recovery, with a 39% growth of its exports”. The figure is 10 points above the national average and more than 20 points above the Community of Madrid, still the first in sales (42.3%), but less than one point behind the Community of Madrid, still the first in sales (42.3%), but less than a point of difference from Andalusia, which already accounts for 41.5% of total Spanish exports, and which contributes more than half of all national growth”.
For his part, the president of Andalucía Aeroespacial highlighted the importance for the cluster of this collaboration with TRADE, since “the internationalization of the sector is a priority and a necessity for most of our companies”. He also highlighted the work that the cluster is doing to identify priority markets and actions abroad that may be of interest to all its members. “The Andalucía Aerospace brand must be better known in other countries that are still unaware of the technological capabilities of our companies and their experience and specialization.” Finally, Gómez Guillamón was very grateful for the very fluid communication that the cluster already maintains with the new TRADE and the added value that this agreement represents for the sector.
Source: Andalucía Aerospace
